Why we can't leave Iraq.

This is a pretty good article.

The heart of the matter:

I was on the ground in Iraq for 16 months, and in that time I talked to hundreds of Iraqis. Some didn't like us; some wanted us to leave, but most did not. What they wanted was for America to live up to its word. They wanted us to rid the country of terrorists and militias so that they could live in peace.

They were willing to help us, but they are not a stupid people. They know that if they commit to the American side and the Americans abandon them as we did in 1991, it means death for them and their families. They know this, and it is real. It is not an abstract idea for them.

Most Iraqis don't support Al-Qaida and the militias, but when our commitment to stay in Iraq and finish the job is in doubt -- as it was when Sen. Harry Reid went on TV and said, "this war is lost" -- Iraqis are going to hedge their bets. They may not support the militias, but when they are betting their lives, most of them are not going to commit to America unless they are assured that America is committed to them.

Nice quote, Mr. Defendant.

So I'm reading this article, mildly interested, when I get to the last line......Wha? Huh?

Is this guy a moron or what? So let me get this straight, I'm getting accused of being involved in satanic rituals that include rape and torture and while I'm being interviewed by the local newspaper, I whip out that quip?

Have you seen the Guinness commercials with the pilgrim? You've got brass, son.

Racism, Obama and stuff.

I see I've fallen in a NRO rut lately. So I ventured over to WeeklyStandard and found this article to be compelling.

I don't see how Obama can separate himself from this Wright guy (preacher seems too dignified). Why am I constantly astounded by these issues of race? It must say something about my own naivete, which I find lamentable. My own serious lack of introspection? A limited intellect? Bull-headed?

On the other hand, it's only March. There's a long way to go to the Presidential election.

Marines. Thank God.

I meant to post something on this earlier. Also the brilliant mayor of Toledo.

Check this video at this link.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if there WAS a force to protect your freedom of speech?”

What a doofus.

Did you see this article?

The golfer actually hit balls at the bird? C'mon guys, what were you thinking?

God forbid we have to do another take. Not to get too granola-y here, but did it occur to anyone that you may have been too close to a nest? Fer cripes sake, take video of the hawk and try to sell it to National Geographic. Could you wait the bird out? Was anybody on the film crew smarter than a bird? I understand that making that instructional clip is very important, but to kill a bird? Really? What if it had been a dog barking? Tee up your driver for that, huh?

Didn't check the laws, but they take that migratory bird stuff pretty seriously in Florida. Seems like cruelty to animals is enough. I'm not travelling down the spotted owl road, and I think you can make logical distinctions between that issue and this one, but for crying out loud, actually hitting golf balls at the bird?

What an idiot.

Geldof and W.

***HAT TIP*** Pat in Covedale

Fascinating article here.

Continuation from post on Febuary 20, 2008.

It's very interesting to read Geldof's take on President Bush. I'm a little shocked by Geldof's flippant comments to the President. Even in an informal conversation, don't you still adhere to some formality? A little respect? A slight nod not only to the man, but to the office? I guess Geldof attended Blackrock University, but don't know if he graduated, but he seems to think he can pass intellectual judgment on President Bush. Thanks, drive by media.

It does seem that Geldof bears some respect for President Bush as a person. Even more important, Geldof is right that President Bush won't get the credit he deserves for his Africa policies. I'd like to see a comparison of aid to Africa between the Clinton administration and the Bush administration.

Interesting take from our neighbor to the north.

See article here.

What an interesting commentary. I'm not willing to give Obama this kind of power yet. I will admit that I know next to nothing about him. I have doubts that America is ready to elect a black man president. I wonder how the enthusiasm on the left compares to the Mondale - Ferraro ticket? I remember at that time that people thought they would get elected just because she was a woman. Wouldn't that be ironic if McCain chose, oh I don't know, Condi Rice? I doubt that is possible, but it's fun to ponder.

By the way, I thought calling him "Hussein" to be kinda funny. Officially, I have no comment.

USS Lake Erie, nice shot.

See this article.

I think this is awesome. I remember an article within the last 6 months about the Chinese capability to shoot down satellites. Good to see we aren't too far behind. Any complaining from China is self-serving drivel. I hope we are working on the technology to have a missle ship shoot down satellites, we need it. Oh and also, Take that, Ruskies!

Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you...

I love this article.

I didn't do any research, but don't know what Bob Geldof said about Slick Willie, "Mr. Don't Stop Dreamin' About Tomorrow."

I'm sure the NYT and 60 Minutes are putting the final touches on their reports.

Angry White Man Voters

See Article here.

I have no guns. At least none that I'm willing to tell the government about.

I'm not really angry either. Beaten into a near senseless state of catatonia. Constantly amazed or dazed.

My hope is that the feud between Hillary and Obama tears at the Democratic party and eventually moves people to the right. Exposing the far left of the party can be a good thing. Who better to pull the curtain aside than a Clinton? Perfect.

I still like the VP.

I will take shots for this and have taken them for this position before.

I found this quote from Jay Nordlinger of NRO.com pretty funny:

And I’m thinking: Cheney knew more when he was playing football and chasing chicks in Wyoming than these two bozos ever will.

Link to full article.

Daywalker in serious trouble.

***UPDATE***
Snipes acquitted. Link here. Wow, was I wrong on this one. Of course, it's always hard to convict famous and well-liked celebrities.


Blade about to be struck down. IRS stronger than silver, garlic and sunlight combined. Blade dull when failing to pay taxes. Tax code sharpest Blade of all. Excuse my indulgence, I'm actually not auditioning for the New York Post.

Wesley Snipes is in big trouble. Article here.

I've always liked his movies. What causes somebody to fall for this stuff? Yes, paying taxes stinks. Something good to remember during this campaign season. Wanna pay more? Think about it before you vote. He's probably going to see jail time. The former IRS commissioner in the article says this kind of case has to send a message. Not that the tax wackos out there will listen, but maybe it will stop somebody from getting sucked into this junk.

I especially like this quote:

Kahn now refuses to leave his jail cell because he believes the court has no jurisdiction to prosecute him.

If they don't have jurisdiction, why are you in a cell? Comedy. Believing you are invisible and actually being invisible are two different things.

MLB and Congressional hearings.

As I listen to espn hammer Congress over the handling of the steroid/hgh hearings, and as much as I hate espn, they are right. What a joke. These people can't pronounce the names? "Mr. Palmeiri's 300 hits?" 300? Mr. Palmeiri? Then the guy has the temerity to snark at the guy, "are you familiar with this case?"

It is fightening. If you're going to hold Congressional Hearings, wouldn't you do a little prep first?

Jeeze, I shoulda dropped out of high school, got a factory job and then run for Congress. This is worse than the old saw, "I can't believe I'm losing to this guy." I can't believe we're being governed by these guys.

Know. The. Freakin. Names.

Hilliary Insight.

2 shocking developments here:
1. Pat in Covedale sending a link to a Camille Paglia article
2. Me actually reading Camille Paglia

Well here's the link.

Fairly harsh, but I think accurate. I've always thought the Clintons were about power, I've made the same observation here on other ocassions. But what the heck do I know?

Union wages and reality.

"the days when manual sunskilled labor can deliver $65-per-hour in wages and benefits are disappearing." - Steve Miller, CEO of Delphi, an auto parts manufacturer.

What a mind boggling quote. The context for this post comes from an article in the WSJ on 1.7.08 and concern the fight between Delphi and its labor unions while Delphi is reorganizing during bankruptcy. (I won't link to the WSJ as you have to have a subscription).

Consider the auto industry and its current condition. $65 an hour? Manual, unskilled labor? Our country and culture have a lot of soul searching to do when planning our economy in the future. I'm just amazed and salty. I should've applied for every factory job in sight while in high school. Higher education? Pah! I'd be close to retirement now, or considering a buyout. Manual unskilled labor.

Lakota Declare Independence.

This makes me sad.

I've often pondered the issue of the plains and other Indians in the USA. I can understand why people would not want to assimilate into our culture today. Heck, there are huge swaths of our culture that mystify, sicken, disgust and bother me. But after 150 years, what is the Federal Government going to do? Send in troops? Federal Agents? This can't end well and sending delegates to foreign embassies is troublesome too.

What's the answer? I doubt its possible to have a rational discourse with these people. Forgive my rudimentary historical knowledge from that time frame, but I think those treaties were signed to prevent sending in troops.

Sad.

NFL player killed.

***UPDATE*** looked up the etymology for the phrase and found this on Wikipedia (a source that is interesting).


I read this article from Jason Whitlock, whom I've cited here before.

His writing is powerful and salient. Why does he seem to be the only voice with this message? I suppose Bill Cosby is close. I wanted to write, "Whitlock is a guy that calls a spade a spade", which I think is a poker reference, but I feared it would be taken as a racial slur. What is this world coming to?

Stephen King and his scary comment.

Saw this from the master of horror. Horror indeed.

Let me get this straight. King obviously believes waterboarding is torture. So the rational, intellectual method to forward discussion is to suggest the daughter of the President be subjected to torture? I suppose he's another of the "compassionate" liberals? I guess it's an interesting tactic, to suggest that another human be subjected to what you believe is torture to prove it is torture. What a jerk. I've read very little of Mr. Kings works, and I think I liked what I read. I doubt if I'm a fan now of the Liberal in the closet. Ha, now that's a true horror story.

Thanksgiving? You bet.

Loved this Mark Steyn article.

Aside from Britain and France, the Europeans cannot project power in any meaningful way anywhere. When they sign on to an enterprise they claim to believe in — shoring up Afghanistan’s fledgling post-Taliban democracy — most of them send token forces under constrained rules of engagement that prevent them doing anything more than manning the photocopier back at the base.

It’s not just Americans and Iraqis and Afghans who owe a debt of thanks to the U.S. soldier but all the Europeans grown plump and prosperous in a globalized economy guaranteed by the most benign hegemon in history.

Brilliant.

The Hawk has his work cut out for him.

Good economic history of Buffalo in this article. You can probably replace Buffalo with Toledo in many instances, except being "showered" with Federal funding. I suspect that Buffalo suffers from the same political leadership vacuum as Toledo. Strong Democratic counties, both Erie and Lucas.