Alas, the story late last week about the Bush administration accidentally publishing nuclear secrets in Arabic on the Internet did not cause quite the stir that I had hoped for. Perhaps if John Kerry had told a joke about it, and left out a word, the story could have received wall-to-wall coverage on TV. That […]
The WaPo had an interesting item over the weekend noting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s busy schedule of late. That makes sense — there’s a war in Iraq, the North Korean crisis is simmering to a boil, there’s a major transition underway at the United Nations, and there are ample challenges that require the attention […]
There’s a line in the movie “Serenity” in which Jayne Cobb, who’s something of a mercenary, explains a bit about his philosophy on shooting people. “Hell, I’ll kill a man in a fair fight,” Jayne said, “or if I think he’s gonna start a fair fight.” We’d all like to think that there’s some nobility […]
The verdict and sentence in Saddam Hussein’s trial in Iraq were not at all surprising, and it’s hard to imagine any serious person lamenting the outcome. Brutal dictator, vicious thug, shameless war criminal … there can be no doubt that Saddam has earned his fate. Some of the media coverage today, however, seems to overlook […]
When we last left evangelical leader Ted Haggard, he was admitting to have bought (but not used) methamphetamines, but continued to deny having an affair with a gay prostitute. There was, shall we say, some lingering doubts about Haggard’s evolving defense. Late yesterday afternoon, Haggard’s New Life Church, after an oversight investigation conducted by four […]
The polls will open on the east coast in less than 48 hours. We all have various hopes, fears, and expectations, but now it’s time to start making some predictions. Three top political analysts have already weighed in. Stuart Rothenberg says that Democrats are “most likely” to pick up 34 to 40 seats, “with slightly […]
Vice President Dick Cheney was in Idaho this week, campaigning for some Republican candidates who are struggling in this traditionally-red state. When Coeur d’Alene businesswoman Melodee Watt heard the vice president was coming to North Idaho, she waited in line at GOP headquarters for a ticket. After all, as far as Watt was concerned, this […]
Obviously, in light of this week’s revelations, evangelist Ted Haggard is going to have some trouble keeping his old political allies. I suppose a guy learns who is real friends are after he’s been accused of having a meth-filled fling with a gay prostitute. Considering the fact that the president considers loyalty one of the […]
It’s owned and operated by civilians, but the Army Times is a semi-official extension of the Pentagon. It exists to offer Army personnel news and analysis about military careers, benefits, and “issues impacting [troops’] professional advancement.” It also emphasizes “community information and active lifestyle features of interest to Army personnel and their families.” And yet, […]
I suspect we’ve reached the pinnacle of through-the-looking-glass Bush policies. The president’s lawyers believe administration officials should have the power to seize suspects, put them in secret CIA prisons, torture them, and then, upon release, censor their ability to tell anyone about what happened to them. Kleiman called this “brutally insane.” I can’t think of […]