Decision ‘08 » 2006

Archive for November, 2006

Friday, November 24th, 2006

Syria’s Miscalculation

By trying to block the Hariri tribunal through its proxy Hezbollah, Syria has made a fundamental miscalculation that will cost it in two areas:
(1) It has strengthened the Lebanese democratic forces considerably. March 14th was already stronger than March 8th, but it will be in an even stronger position now. Nobody likes to be bullied, […]

1 Comment » - Posted in Radical Islam / GWOT, Iraq by Mark

Thursday, November 23rd, 2006

The Hastings Problem: Kaus Has A Solution

How can Nancy Pelosi keep the Congressional Black Caucus happy and still keep Alcee Hastings from the chair of the Intelligence Committee? Mickey Kaus has the solution:
Amy Holmes, appearing Tuesday on Hannity and Colmes, came up with a more ingenious solution: Pelosi could reach out and give the job to Rep. Sanford Bishop. Why Bishop? […]

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

Thursday, November 23rd, 2006

No Holiday In The Middle East

Events in the Middle East continue to boil over, with Beirut and Baghdad taking center stage. First up is Iraq, where the Sunni insurgents upped the ante with a deadly attack on the Shi’a that killed at least 161:
Sunni Muslim insurgents blew up five car bombs and fired mortars into Baghdad’s largest Shiite district Thursday, […]

1 Comment » - Posted in Iraq, Foreign Affairs by Mark

Thursday, November 23rd, 2006

A Happy Thanksgiving To You All

Family time approaches, and the posting will be lighter over the next few days (though not nonexistent).
I’m thankful this day for my own family, for my beagle, for the brave men and women of the United States and its allies who are serving the cause of freedom, and for my readers.
Here’s hoping you and yours […]

2 Comments » - Posted in Navel-Gazing by Mark

Thursday, November 23rd, 2006

The UN’s Selective Enforcement

This is truly an outrage:
French soldiers in Lebanon who feel threatened by aggressive Israeli overflights are permitted to shoot at IAF fighter jets, a high-ranking French military officer told The Jerusalem Post.
Wednesday, several days after meeting with an IDF general in Paris to discuss what he said was a “blatant violation of the cease-fire.” […]

1 Comment » - Posted in Israel, Radical Islam / GWOT, UN/Oil-For-Food by Mark

Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006

The Case Against Hastings

Let’s be crystal clear about one thing: whether Jane Harman gets the job or not (and I think she should), anyone but Alcee Hastings is a better choice than Hastings. I’ve been accused of being a hypocrite and a race-baiter for my troubles in trying to beat the drum against his nomination, but no one […]

1 Comment » - Posted in Domestic Affairs, Donkeys by Mark

Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006

Another Triumph For Diplomacy

Quick, someone send Barbara Walters to Beirut!…
(No, really…please?)…

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

Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006

Bad News For Romney?

A new Rasmussen survey shows 43% opposition to a Mormon president:
Forty-three percent (43%) of American voters say they would never even consider voting for a Mormon Presidential candidate. Only 38% say they would consider casting such a vote while 19% are not sure. Half (53%) of all Evangelical Christians say that they would not consider […]

8 Comments » - Posted in Mitt Romney, 2008 Polls, Republican Candidates by Mark

Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006

What’s Missing From Iraq: A Partner (Part Two)

On Monday, I lamented the state of affairs in Iraq, where our no-doubt-good intentions seem to be stimied at every turn by a lack of cooperation from a weak Iraqi government beholden to Sadr. My conclusion:
…[T]he only hope to is to budge Maliki by scaring the hell out of him, unless his government falls of […]

5 Comments » - Posted in Iraq by Mark

Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006

Spreading Meme Alert

Our good friend Tom Maguire alerts me to a great personal triumph: the “Nutroots®” craze has spread to the NY Times (though, alas, without the proper attribution)…

1 Comment » - Posted in Progressive Nonsense / Nutroots®, NY Times/Media Watch by Mark

Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006

Who Else Disagrees With The Lancet Numbers? The UN…

Now, don’t think I’m being coy here, because this number is truly horrific, but bear with me:
The United Nations said Wednesday that 3,709 Iraqi civilians were killed in October, the highest monthly toll since the March 2003 U.S. invasion and another sign of the severity of Iraq’s sectarian bloodbath.
The toll, and the accompanying article, are […]

17 Comments » - Posted in Iraq, Progressive Nonsense / Nutroots®, UN/Oil-For-Food by Mark

Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006

The Gemayel Assassination: STRATFOR’s Analysis

Here is the STRATFOR summary of yesterday’s murder in Lebanon:
Lebanese Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel was killed Nov. 21 in a Beirut neighborhood where a pro-Syrian party is known to have a large presence. As Gemayel was an outspoken critic of Hezbollah and a member of Lebanon’s anti-Syrian movement, Syrian intelligence likely staged the shooting as […]

No Comments » - Posted in Iraq, Foreign Affairs by Mark

Tuesday, November 21st, 2006

UN OKs Hariri Tribunal…

…though whether Hezbollah and Syria can throw up enough obstructions to prevent it is still in the air:
The agreement by the U.N. and the Lebanese government, announced last week by Annan, would create a tribunal outside Lebanon with a majority of international judges and an international prosecutor. Annan said having more international than Lebanese judges […]

No Comments » - Posted in Foreign Affairs, UN/Oil-For-Food by Mark

Tuesday, November 21st, 2006

Debunking The Lancet Numbers (Again!)

Well, it was inevitable…every time I click through to a lefty source, whether it’s homegrown rag the Austin Chronicle or nationwide propaganda machine “Democracy Now!”, I’m confronted with that damn Lancet study with its assertions that 700 Iraqis a day have died violent deaths because of the invasion over a period of 3 years. I didn’t […]

6 Comments » - Posted in Iraq, Progressive Nonsense / Nutroots® by Mark

Tuesday, November 21st, 2006

A Fascinating - And Horrifying - Tale

I haven’t blogged about this yet, because I didn’t know how to really introduce it, but Pajamas Media has been on the case of some Iranian dissidents who have been trapped in the Moscow Airport for 76 days(!!!) as they seek, so far unsuccessfully, political asylum. If you’re unaware of the story, you can get […]

No Comments » - Posted in Iran, Pajamas Media by Mark

Tuesday, November 21st, 2006

More On The Looming ‘Fair Trade’ Battles

From Morton Kondracke:
Having failed to convince fellow Republicans of the merits of comprehensive immigration reform, President Bush now faces the even more difficult task of defending free trade against protectionist Democrats.
A tide of populism, protectionism, nationalism and xenophobia is washing over the country, fueled by right-wing radio talk show hosts, CNN firebrand Lou Dobbs — […]

3 Comments » - Posted in Domestic Affairs, Donkeys, Progressive Nonsense / Nutroots® by Mark

Tuesday, November 21st, 2006

Odds And Ends

Lots of stuff going on today…
At the Counterterrorism Blog, Walid Phares argues that General Abizaid was whistling past the graveyard at his most recent Congressional appearance; says Abizaid, it’s not a matter of more troops, but of training more Iraqis (to which I reply, yes, that’s fine, but if the Iraqis won’t take on the […]

No Comments » - Posted in Mark Warner, Iraq, Celebrities / Pop Culture / Sports, Democratic Candidates, Election 2008 by Mark

Tuesday, November 21st, 2006

Terrible News From Lebanon

The most well-known Christian (and anti-Syrian) politician has been assassinated:
Prominent anti-Syrian Christian politician Pierre Gemayel was assassinated in a suburb of Beirut on Tuesday, his Phalange Party radio station and Lebanon’s official news agency reported.
His fatal shooting will certainly heighten the political tension in Lebanon, where the leading Muslim Shiite party Hezbollah has threatened to […]

16 Comments » - Posted in Iran, Hitchens the Great, Radical Islam / GWOT, Iraq by Mark

Tuesday, November 21st, 2006

Pelosi To Conyers: No Impeachment!

In an article that talks about Nancy Pelosi’s efforts to move the congressional Democrats towards the center (and an article that spends almost an entire page talking about committee chairs without mentioning the Hastings-Harman dustup), we find the following buried nugget:
House Democratic leaders have extracted a promise from the incoming chairman of the House Judiciary […]

3 Comments » - Posted in POTUS, Donkeys, Progressive Nonsense / Nutroots® by Mark

Tuesday, November 21st, 2006

Pelosi-Harman: This Time It’s Personal

Of course, it was personal with Jack Murtha, too:
Pelosi indicated as early as last year that she intended to oust Harman from the Intelligence Committee — where Harman expected to become chairwoman if Democrats won control of the House — in favor of someone more to Pelosi’s liking.The move has created dissension within the party. […]