Daniel McKivergan was a prolific contributor to The Weekly Standard, serving as a deputy director of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) while writing extensively for the magazine. He contributed over 1,200 pieces between 1996 and 2007, focusing heavily on U.S. foreign policy, the Iraq War, Democratic Party politics, and national security matters. His work frequently tracked political developments and historical anniversaries with a focus on holding policymakers accountable.
During this morning's Armed Services confirmation hearing, Sen. McCain asked Lt. Gen. Petraeus is if he can implement his new plan in Iraq without more troops? Petraeus answered: "No sir." McCain also asked if it would be helpful to the general for the Senate to pass an anti-surge resolution.…
Today's New York Sun editorial: "Since Washington's hostile and hawkish policies have always been against the Iranian nation, this defeat is actually an obvious victory for the Iranian nation." -The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, November 10, 2006. Not since Dean Acheson helped…
From the Weekly Standard's Scrapbook: Count us underwhelmed by the logic of the ballyhooed Joe Biden/Carl Levin/Chuck Hagel resolution attacking Bush's Iraq policy. It all sounds eerily familiar: "accelerate training of Iraqi troops"; keep a small U.S. footprint; the problem isn't military, instead…
The incoming commander for Iraq, Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, is scheduled to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, January 23. He's expected to make the case for the "surge" and presumably explain why he needs the additional brigades to implement the new strategy. This will…
Back from Iraq, Sen. Clinton said on the morning talk show circuit that she opposes efforts to cut off troop funding (for now at least) and opposes Lt. Gen. Petraeus' request for more brigades in Iraq. Hillary now says that she supports capping the number of troops in Iraq to around 135,000. But…
Over at National Review Online, Rich Lowry takes on a phony charge peddled by the NYT's Rich and others. He writes: Is kagan playing fast and loose with his numbers? Frank Rich made this (sub. req'd) charge yesterday. It's amplified here. The charge is that Kagan first said it would take 80,000…
The Illinois senator had this to say on Face the Nation on Sunday. One of the things that I strongly disagree with ... is this notion that we have future catastrophe to look forward to if we start phasing down troops. We are in the catastrophe ... right now. Well, a short time ago, the Weekly…
According to USA Today, the U.S. military is reporting a dramatic and unexpected increase in the number of police recruits in Anbar province, the center of Sunni insurgent activity in Iraq. In the past two weeks, more than 1,000 applicants have sought police jobs in Ramadi, the provincial capital.…
Former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Jack Keane worries that Lt. Gen. Petraeus may be assuming command in Iraq without adequate forces. From today's Sunday Telegraph: THE MILITARY mastermind of President George W. Bush's new troop "surge'' strategy for Iraq has hit out at signs that the Pentagon is…
The incoming commander of U.S. forces in Iraq is considered the Army's top expert on counterinsurgency. He recently authored the Army's field manual on conducting counterinsurgency operations. He served in Iraq as commander of the 101st. Lt. Gen. Petraeus also believes that he needs more forces if…
This is from page 73 of the Iraq Study Group report: We could, however, support a short-term redeployment or surge of American combat forces to stabilize Baghdad, or to speed up the training and equipping mission, if the U.S. commander in Iraq determines that such steps would be effective. Well,…
Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Sen. Joe Biden believes Congress should "demonstrate to the president [that] he's on his own" on the troop surge. Well, it's good to see that our allies aren't listening to the Delaware senator: From the Associated Press: President Bush's decision to boost American…
Senator Lieberman on the president's Iraq speech tonight: I applaud the President for rejecting the fatalism of failure and pursuing a new course to achieve success in Iraq. There is no more difficult decision that a President can make than to send our nation's bravest soldiers and patriots into…
Via Hotline blog:: Success or failure in Iraq is not a matter of partisan politics but a matter of national security. All Americans should be hoping, praying and offering constructive advice for the success of our troops in Iraq and for those Iraqis seeking to create a stable and decent government.…
In 1999, Democrats, liberal pundits and some Republicans slammed Tom Delay's comment that Kosovo was "Clinton's War." They were right to do so. At the same time, Sen. Joe Biden co-sponsored a resolution authorizing the commander in chief to use "all necessary force and other means necessary" to…
The governor released the following statement today: I agree with the President: Our strategy in Iraq must change. Our military mission, for the first time, must include securing the civilian population from violence and terror. It is impossible to defeat the insurgency without first providing…
Today's New York Times reports that Democratic leaders are exploring "ways to block financing for a military expansion without being accused of abandoning American forces already in Iraq." But Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid are going to have to seek such a funding cut off over the likely…
Mounir el Motassadeq was a member of the Hamburg sleeper cell that "planned and carried out" the September 11 attacks. A "close friend of 9/11 hijackers Mohamed Atta, Marwan Al-Shehhi and Ziad Samir Jarrah," reports the McClatchy News, el Motassadeq "had signed wills, taken over power of attorney…
Here's the text of the letter Senators Lieberman and Lindsey Graham sent to the White House today: January 8, 2007 President George W. Bush The White House 1600Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President, For the sake of our own national security we must have a successful outcome to…
CBS News reports that a "U.S. Air Force gunship has conducted a strike against suspected members of al Qaeda in Somalia.... The targets included the senior al Qaeda leader in East Africa and an al Qaeda operative wanted for his involvement in the 1998 bombings of two American embassies in…
From today's editorial: ...If the stakes in Iraq are as great as Mr. Bush says--and we believe they are--then he should commit whatever forces are needed to achieve success. The public's support for the Iraq campaign is waning, in major part because the casualties and expense have been producing no…
Democrats and others have been pushing the line that military commanders really don't want a troop surge in Iraq. Consider today's Washington Post editorial: [The president] will face a formidable task in convincing Congress and the public that such a "surge" makes sense. It's well known that many…
Over at The Corner, Stanley Kurtz makes a good point regarding the Washington Post's coverage of the Iraq "surge" debate. There is something awfully odd about today's big Washington Post story on the proposed troop surge. The headline reads, "Critics Say ‘Surge' Is More of The Same," and the…
The Republican senator will soon make it official. ABC News reports that Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback will declare his presidential candidacy on January 20. The Weekly Standard's Terry Eastland profiled Brownback a few months back and recently reported on the senator's ground game Iowa.
From the current Weekly Standard editorial: The task in these [upcoming congressional] hearings, then, is not just to explain and defend the president's plan, but to make the point that it is better than any plausible alternative, especially withdrawal. Committee members should not be allowed to…
William Kristol offers his thoughts in the latest issue of Time: There has been some sniping at the Keane-Kagan plan. But what is striking is that so few of the critics actually go to the trouble of analyzing it--or proposing a substitute. Instead, Keane and Kagan are treated with annoyance and…
Former DNC Chair, Clinton ally, and Global Crossing sweepstakes winner Terry McAuliffe dumps on Kerry in his new book, "What a Party! My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators and Other Wild Animals." According to the AP, he calls Kerry's '04 campaign "one of…
With Moscow wielding its energy club on its neighbors, Ukraine, Georgia and now Belarus, there's been a growing awakening in Europe to the perils of being too dependent on the Kremlin for energy supplies. The latest is Germany. Radio Free Europe reports that Economy Minister Michael Glos welcomed…
Nearly eight years ago, NATO (without Security Council approval) began its bombing campaign to expel Serb forces from Kosovo. scan.gif The UN has been trying to figure out what to do with Kosovo ever since it took over administering the province in 1999. That process may soon be coming to an end -…
The folks over at Foreign Policy have posted an interesting debate between Matt Continetti of Weekly Standard and the American Prospect's Matthew Yglesias on the merits of this piece, "Why Hawks Win" in FP's latest issue. Here's the link.
With North Korea's nuclear program advancing, Japan is set to ramp up its missile defense capabilities. According to Reuters, Japan may be getting set to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into plugging missile- defense gaps demonstrated by North Korea's July 4-5 test- firings…. Also being…
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards is a smart politician. He wants to rapidly drawdown U.S. troops in Iraq and escalate our involvement in Darfur. Both positions are extremely popular with Democratic primary voters. On ABC's This Week, he explained what he'd do to end the atrocities in…
From the AP: [President] Silva made the economy and crime the cornerstones of his inauguration speeches Monday. He vowed to increase economic growth that has lagged behind the rest of South America, without sacrificing the social programs that are largely responsible for his high popularity. But…
Sony has filed a "patent for a motorized skateboard that riders steer by shifting their weight," Techweb.com reports.
From a joint press release: Press reports indicate that the leaders of the uniformed services are recommending that the Bush Administration increase the endstrength of the Army and Marines. Given the strain that our military is currently operating under, it is imperative that we act quickly to meet…
Tamar Jacoby of the Manhattan Institute explains why our immigration system needs a complete overhaul -- not just a fence.
In yesterday's Jerusalem Post, columnist Caroline Glick writes on the role of Yasir Arafat in the murder of top American diplomats in Sudan in 1973. ON MARCH 1, 1973, eight Fatah terrorists, operating under the Black September banner stormed the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan during a…
From ABC's This Week yesterday: STEPHANOPOULOS: [Do] you actually fear this idea that there's going to be a splitting of the difference. That the president will send 10,000 or 20,000 troops temporarily to Baghdad rather than the 20,000 to 30,000 or 40,000 that General Jack Keane and others have…
Onetime hawk John Edwards ran away from his pro-war Iraq vote long ago. At the time of his vote, the politics were good for the then senator from North Carolina. Saddam would be deposed and his wmd uncovered. Edwards, like Kerry, could then claim credit for being a tough Democrat on national…
In case you missed it, Gen. Jack Keane and Fred Kagan wrote the following in Wednesday's Washington Post: Reports on the Bush administration's efforts to craft a new strategy in Iraq often use the term "surge" but rarely define it. Estimates of the number of troops to be added in Baghdad range from…
I wanted to highlight two organizations that assist active duty service members and disabled veterans. Profiled in the Weekly Standard, Unmet Needs is a charity that helps military families facing financial difficulties. Needs.jpg In addition, I am on the board of the Wounded Warrior Project, a…
John Kerry has an op-ed in today's Washington Post pushing for a deadline for troop withdrawal from Iraq. Fred Kagan, coauthor of this Iraq report, explains in today's Sunday Times why the policy pushed by Kerry and others would lead to defeat. He writes: A decisive moment in world history is at…
(Russian obstructionism at the UN has strengthened the hardliners in Tehran, argue the editors of the Washington Post today. So far, it's win-win for Moscow and Tehran. Russia, a G-8 member, abets Iran's nuclear program, rakes in lots of cash doing so, and yet remains on a path to gain membership…
Weekly Standard contributor Max Boot goes at it with British journalist Geoffrey Wheatcroft on the topic of U.S. foreign policy on the New York Times web site. You may find the lengthy discussion here. One thing Max Boot addresses is the rampant historical amnesia on who supported the invasion of…
The failure to increase the size of the U.S. ground force post 9-11 was a mistake - one that the president is now correcting with his call for a larger Army and Marine Corps. Similarly, British Defense Secretary Des Browne says that they too "will have to consider increasing the size of the army."…
From an interview with CNBC's Larry Kudlow: KUDLOW: General Haig, … Can we do this troop surge, and will a heavier footprint in Iraq work in your judgment? HAIG (Former Secretary of State Under President Reagan): Well, I think the consequence of not having it has got to be considered. And, you…
"A close aide to the British commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan has been accused of passing secrets about activities there to Iran," reports AFP. Thursday's reports come as British-led forces struggle against fiercer than expected Taliban insurgents in the south of the country, invaded by…
From the AP: Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the rest of the Bush administration may be undecided on whether to send more troops to Iraq, but several soldiers he met with at Camp Victory here on Thursday morning here said extra forces would help. "Sir I think we need to just keep doing what…
From the Hartford Courant: "After speaking with our military commanders on the ground," he said Wednesday in an email, "I strongly believe that additional U.S. troops must be deployed to Baghdad." Lieberman, D-Conn., visited Iraq last week with a Senate delegation. He also traveled to Kuwait and…
Does Bush have more running room with Americans on Iraq than the Washington media suggest in its news coverage? Recent polls hint he may if it's part of a comprehensive new strategy to improve things on the ground in Iraq. The other day Gallup's Frank Newport discussed some interesting numbers with…
The International Herald Tribune reports on a bit of good news: In the three and a half years since the fall of Saddam Hussein, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has been the spiritual custodian of Shiite political dominance here, corralling Iraq's fractious Shiite political parties into a single…
"Pentagon Cites Success Of Anti-U.S. Forces in Iraq" reads a front-page headline in today's Washington Post. "The Pentagon said yesterday that violence in Iraq soared this fall to its highest level on record," the Post reports, "and acknowledged that anti-U.S. fighters have achieved a ‘strategic…
The "scary" theme of today's piece by Richard Cohen is an old one for the Washington Post columnist. Cohen, who supported the invasion of Iraq, penned many columns on the "militant mood" that ushered Reagan into power and the "scary" policies the president pursued with the Soviets, on nuclear…
The governor made some good points on the report in this interview last week with National Review online: The members of the Iraq Study Group deserve credit for their hard work. But their recommendations read like the product of a flawed process - one more focused on reaching consensus for the sake…
Yesterday, on ABC's This Week, Gen. Jack Keane, former acting chief of staff and vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army, discussed "Choosing Victory: A Plan for Success" in Iraq. Video of the exchange Keane had with the newly elected Cong. Joe Sestak, a retired vice admiral who advocates troop…
On the heels of Sen. Reid's support for a short-term surge in U.S. forces in Iraq, Sen. Clinton said this morning that she could support a surge if it's tied to a different strategy. I am not in favor of doing that unless it's part of a larger plan…. I am not in favor of sending more troops to…
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson told an audience in New Hampshire today that the "only realistic choice" we have in Iraq is to withdraw our troops. An American withdrawal won't be "pretty," he says, but fewer people will die if we "get out of the way." The only realistic choice we have is to stand…
(From today's New York Times: "Military planners and White House budget analysts have been asked to provide President Bush with options for increasing American forces in Iraq by 20,000 or more. The request indicates that the option of a major "surge" in troop strength is gaining ground as part of a…
Garry Kasparov marches in Moscow. From the BBC: The rally is being organised by former chess world champion Garry Kasparov, who has said its participants would try to avoid any possible provocations. The march is against what protesters describe as rampant corruption and a Kremlin crackdown on…
The Connecticut senator "spoke strongly in favor of a substantial troop increase, saying 'a failed state in Iraq will be a disaster for the region and the world,'" reports the NY Times news wire from Baghdad.
(Eli Lake of the NY Sun has an interesting piece today on how a surge of U.S. troops in Baghdad would play in the 2008 presidential race. McCain's been calling for more forces in Iraq since 2003. Today, he supports a surge in Baghdad. The Wall Street Journal editorial page, the National Review, the…
Gen. Jack Keane, former acting chief of staff and vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army, former Afghanistan coalition commander Lt. Gen. David Barno, officers involved with the "successful operations of the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment in Tal Afar" under the command of Col. H.R. McMaster, and…
(The Pentagon will establish a new Africa command within two months, reports Reuters.) Posted on October 16, 2006: Going back to the early 1990s, Africa has been a target for al Qaeda. Two letters, dated September 30, 1993 and May 24, 1994, captured during US military operations in Afghanistan…
From the AP: In a direct affront to the Bush administration, a Democratic senator spent an hour Wednesday with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus, emerging from the meeting to say Assad was willing to help control the Iraq-Syrian border…. "Assad clearly indicated the willingness to…
Hotline reports: It's official... AP has called TX 23. Ex-Dem Rep. Ciro Rodriguez is coming back to Congress. With 94% of precincts reporting, Rodriguez leads GOP Rep. Henry Bonilla 55-45%…. Frankly, not only is Rodriguez's victory a mild surprise (Bonilla fell just 2 points short of avoiding the…
The Washington Times columnist has an excellent piece in today's paper. He writes: [Bush's] political opponents stand triumphant, yet barren of useful guidance. Many -- if not most -- of his fellow party men and women in Washington are rapidly joining his opponents in a desperate effort to save…
From the American Forces Press Service: AL ASAD, Iraq - Even with all the debate in the U.S. over Iraq strategy, morale on the ground here is good, the commander of Multinational Force West said today. Marine Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer said that retention among Marines based in Iraq is more than 140…
That's right. You don't need glasses. Gary Schmitt and Reuel Gerecht of the American Enterprise Institute argue: Since the suburban riots last August, the perception that France is in decline has become de rigueur in French, European, and American circles. Economically, culturally, educationally,…
On April 12, 1945, Generals Eisenhower, Bradley and Patton entered Ohrdruf, a subcamp in the Buchenwald concentration camp system. Eisenhower.jpg (Eisenhower at Ohrdruf, courtesy of ushmm.org) Eisenhower then cabled Gen. George C. Marshall: The visual evidence and the verbal testimony of…
Stars and Stripes reports: U.S. troops delivering aid to Kenyan flood victims A team of American servicemembers assigned to Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa has begun delivering relief supplies to areas of Kenya hit by severe flooding, the military said Monday. In all, the team of soldiers,…
("Shell is being forced by the Russian government to hand over its controlling stake in the world's biggest liquefied gas project," the Guardian reports, provoking fresh fears about the Kremlin's willingness to use the country's growing strength in natural resources as a political weapon." The…
From NY1 News: McCain Assails Iran's Nuclear Aspirations In Yeshiva Address During his address, McCain called Iran "the chief state sponsor of international terrorism." "There's only one thing worse that a military solution, and that, my friends, is a nuclear-armed Iran," McCain said. "The regime…
That was the date the UN Security Council gave Iran to stop its nuclear enrichment activities or else. But it's been nearly 4 months, and there's little evidence the "or else" will amount to much anytime soon. And with the release of the Iraq Survey Group's report, Tehran has dug in its nuclear…
From the current Weekly Standard: "Among the many intelligent and forceful criticisms of the meretricious Baker-Hamilton report, THE SCRAPBOOK's favorites have been from soldiers, ranging from lieutenant colonels to sergeants…. First, listen to T.F. Boggs (check out his blog), a 24-year-old…
Sen. Lieberman on the passing of the Amb. Jeane Kirkpatrick: America has lost a clarion voice for freedom. Ambassador Kirkpatrick was a genuine patriot who played a critical role in liberty's triumph over totalitarianism in the Cold War. Ambassador Kirkpatrick profoundly understood that ideas have…
Gen. Zinni, Gen. Keane, Sen. McCain and many others want to surge forces in the Baghdad area, preferably by increasing overall troop levels in Iraq, not by pulling forces out of Anbar. One reason may be reports like this this from the AP: But as the White House faces calls to revisit its Iraq…
From today's Wall Street Journal: Senior military officials are betting that larger U.S. military training teams that would live and work with Iraqi units could speed the development of an Iraqi army force that has shown some promise, but is still bedeviled by corruption, absenteeism and logistical…
From AFP: MOSCOW - Russian prosecutors said they were opening their own murder inquiry into the death of Alexander Litvinenko as a funeral was held for the former Russian spy at a central London mosque. A spate of new poisonings added further intrigue to the affair, including that of a private…
In its report, the ISG concludes: The ability of the United States to shape outcomes is diminishing. Time is running out. But as Frederick Kagan explains in today's New York Daily News, the ISG's plan is based on time "we don't have." He writes: Yet the Baker Report devotes scant space (8 pages out…
There was a lot of backslapping and talk of "consensus" yesterday when the ISG members held their press conference. But evidently some of the retired military officers who advised the panel disagree with the report's primary security recommendation. The NYT's Michael Gordon reports: By the first…
On page 1, the report states: The Iraqi people have a democratically elected government that is broadly representative of Iraq's population, yet the government is not adequately advancing national reconciliation, providing basic security, or delivering essential services. The level of violence is…
On page 37-38: Because of the importance of Iraq, the potential for catastrophe, and the role and commitments of the United States in initiating events that have led to the current situation, we believe it would be wrong for the United States to abandon the country through a precipitate withdrawal…
(A reader emails: "on the military front, they looked at an increase of 100K to 200K and - surprise! - found that it would be hard to sustain. By inflating the numbers they took it off the board.) From page 73: Because of the importance of Iraq to our regional security goals and to our ongoing…
Newsweek reports: In a surprise twist in the debate over Iraq, Rep. Silvestre Reyes, the soon-to-be chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said he wants to see an increase of 20,000 to 30,000 U.S. troops as part of a stepped up effort to "dismantle the militias." Like Reyes, McCain also has…
Mort Zuckerman of US News asks, "What's the most dangerous geopolitical development in the 21st century?" The answer: "Iran's emergence as the Middle East regional superpower. Why? Because it places the center of the world's increasingly stretched energy resources more and more under the influence…
Yesterday on Fox News, the president said he'd review the Baker-Hamilton recommendations on Iraq but he also added: "More importantly, when it comes to military matters, I want to listen to the military, to come up with a way of achieving our objective quicker. And so this is an important period."…
(It won't happen, but I'll say it again anyway.) Posted on November 15, 2006: If John Bolton decides to bow out of the UN post because of continued Democratic opposition to his confirmation, the president should seriously consider former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson for the job. Like Bolton,…
Two pieces worth a read: Jeff Jacoby's "Fighting to win in Iraq" and Mark Steyn's "Iraq is just test of will for America."
Syria keeps arming Hezbollah. From Reuters: The United Nations has documented 13 incidents of illegal weapons in southern Lebanon since early September, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Friday, calling Beirut's border monitoring deficient. U.N. Security Council resolutions have called on…
(Andrew Sullivan reacts to my Rumsfeld post. He writes: "The president refused. Where we are is not Rumsfeld's responsibility. It's Bush's. He's the president. It's been his non-strategy all along. And yet the WS did nothing but back him, lionize him and enable him." Come again. From an April 26,…
From the New York Times: Senator John Cornyn, a Republican member of the Armed Services Committee from Texas, said he believed that it would be necessary to send tens of thousands more troops to Iraq in the short term to stabilize Baghdad and control the sectarian militias that were killing one…
Democrats ran under the "Bring the Troops Home" banner, but they now expect Republicans to concede defeat along with them. According to today's Christian Science Monitor, After winning back control of the House and Senate largely on the basis of opposition to the war in Iraq, Democrats are ramping…
It's worth remembering as we consider the consequences of exiting Iraq along the lines advocated by some Washington politicians. "The first stage," Zawahiri wrote in his July 2005 letter to Zarqawi, is to "expel the Americans from Iraq." He also counseled Zarqawi to be prepared: [T]hings may…
(The assassin speaks. From the AP: "Syrian President Bashar Assad said Wednesday his country will continue to challenge U.S. efforts to exert control over the Middle East, sounding a defiant tone ahead of President Bush's arrival in the region for talks on Iraq. 'Colonialism has not ended. In the…
CNN reports today: Pelosi 'sad' over Bush's Iraq representation WASHINGTON -- House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said Tuesday she feels "sad" President Bush blamed insurgent violence on al Qaeda while he dismissed notions Iraq is in a civil war. "My thoughts on the president's…
Will the Baker-Hamilton Commission endorse the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq on a hard timetable? That's highly unlikely. The president has flatly rejected withdrawal timetables, so it's hard to believe Sec. Baker would go along with such a recommendation for this reason alone. What about…
Newt weighs in on the Iraq commission here.
I'm confident the Iranian regime will act even more responsibly if it manages to acquire nuclear weapons. From today's New York Times: A senior American intelligence official said Monday that the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah had been training members of the Mahdi Army, the Iraqi Shiite militia…
Have Rep. Tom Tancredo face off against Mark Udall for the Allard seat. From the Denver Post: The buzz in U.S. Senate circles is that Wayne Allard might honor his pledge to serve just two terms and retire to that new home he and his wife, Joan, are building in Jackson County…. Allard is in the…
A few weeks ago, I noted that Tehran would likely demand that in exchange for its "cooperation" in Iraq the U.S. must stop pushing for punitive action against them on the Security Council. Guess what? On Sunday, the AP reports, Ahmadinejad said that "he would help the United States bring calm to…
This (free sub. req'd) quote -- "Rumsfeld is being vilified for our fate in Iraq. He does not get enough credit for dragging the DOD, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century" -- from the former undersecretary of defense in yesterday's Miami Herald reminds me of what Marion Barry, then mayor of…
I have to wonder what exactly the president got out of his stopover in Moscow on his way to the APEC summit a little over a week ago. He traveled well out of his way to chat with Putin. Since then, and despite our objections, the Kremlin has gone ahead with the delivery of an air-defense system to…
Evidently, the world soccer federation is a tougher outfit than the UN Security Council. From the AP: ZURICH, Switzerland - Iran was suspended from international soccer by FIFA on Thursday because of government interference with the country's soccer federation. The decision was made Wednesday at an…
On this day, I wanted to highlight two organizations that assist active duty service members and disabled veterans. Profiled in the Weekly Standard, Unmet Needs is a charity that helps military families facing financial difficulties. Needs.jpg In addition, I am on the board of the Wounded Warrior…
The biannual Top500 supercomputers list is out. IBM retains the top spot with its BlueGene system at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. BlueGene's performance comes in at 280.6 trillion calculations per second. Of the ten most powerful supercomputers in the world, seven are in the U.S. with…
The Connecticut senator made some blunt comments last night on Fox News' Hannity and Colmes: HANNITY: [I]f Barack Obama and Senator Levin want to cut and run [from Iraq]? Are you going to stand in strong opposition to them? LIEBERMAN: You bet I am. I mean, they're now proposing that we begin a…
(Darn. The conspiracy has been exposed.) It's no surprise that Senator Lieberman has tapped Marshall Wittmann of the Democratic Leadership Council to be his communications director and informal political advisor. During the campaign, Wittmann, a registered Independent, frequently battled the…
(From Reuters: "Anti-Syrian Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said on Wednesday he expected more assassinations of ministers and members of parliament aimed at undermining the ruling majority. 'We have to expect, and this is my impression unfortunately, more assassinations of ministers and…
Gov. Romney's interview with the Washington Examiner is interesting not for his direct attack on Sen. McCain, one of the few politicians who has actually exhibited leadership on the Iraq War, but this statement: "I'm a conservative Republican, there's no question about that…. I'm at a different…
From the Sunday Telegraph: Ayatollah who backs suicide bombs aims to be Iran's next spiritual leader An ultra-conservative Iranian cleric who opposes all dialogue with the West is a frontrunner to become the country's next supreme spiritual leader. In a move that would push Iran even further into…
(The Washington Post reports: "British police are investigating the poisoning of a former Russian spy and outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin and have placed him under protective guard at a London hospital…. Alexander Litvinenko, 43, began vomiting shortly after he had lunch on Nov. 1…
Here's a big thing many Americans wouldn't expect early on from Democrats: passing legislation to substantially enlarge the ground force. The Democratic leadership would enjoy strong bipartisan support for something that should have been done years ago. Just how bipartisan? Well, consider today's…
Gingrich on Fox News Sunday: WALLACE: You say Mitt Romney. McCain started an exploratory committee this week. Thirty seconds: Are you going to do the same? GINGRICH: No. We have a program called American Solutions we're working on. And in September of next year, I'll be glad to come back and talk…
In a speech yesterday, Gen. John Abizaid was quite blunt in assessing the threat posed by Islamic radicalism. He also questioned whether the West has the will necessary to confront it now before a broader war erupts. From Reuters: The top U.S. general in the Middle East said on Friday that if the…
Weighing in at 364 pages, the Rand Corporation has just released a two-part study, "Beyond Al Qaeda." Al Qaeda espouses a "global revolutionary creed" with an "ideology that is radical and Islamist at its core, but also borrows from 20th century Western totalitarian traditions." Its goals, Rand…
This is a strange story first reported on ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) radio: US authorities have uncovered a plot to set up a flight training school in the Pacific nation of Kiribati and suspect the man behind it may have had links to September 11 mastermind Mohammed Atta. Since the…
The AP reports that "House Democrats have chosen Rep. Steny Hoyer as House majority leader, the No. 2 leadership post." Democrats showed some sense on this. Murtha would have been a disaster for the Democrats, though good for the media. With Lieberman's big victory and now Murtha's trouncing, the…
Despite the comments of Rep. Pelosi ("The war on terror is the war in Afghanistan") and DNC chair Howard Dean (Afghanistan "is where the fight on terror is."), the Global War on Terror is, in fact, global. Today's New York Times reports: More than 700 Islamic militants from Somalia traveled to…
Its significance was on display at yesterday's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. From today's New York Times: But no sooner had Mr. Levin outlined his case for a phased pullout of troops beginning in four to six months than the new Independent Democratic hero of the hawkish wing, Senator…
His comments on immigration, the party leadership races, and 2008 may be found here.
If John Bolton decides to bow out of the UN post because of continued Democratic opposition to his confirmation, the president should seriously consider former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson for the job. Like Bolton, he's tough, well versed in national security, extremely articulate and would be a…
During the past year, senior Democrats have often cited the remarks of Gen. Zinni and Gen. Batiste, in particular, in their attacks on the administration's conduct of the war. But I doubt they'll be citing them anymore -- or these officers for that matter. Zinni wants more forces in Iraq, and…
From the Islamic Republic News Agency: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad here Tuesday referred to Iran's peaceful nuclear activities as the most complicated challenge in the country's diplomacy, saying time is running in Iran's favor in this respect. "The greatest and most complicated challenge in the…
From AFP: Lebanon's Western-backed cabinet is facing a deep crisis as pro-Syrian opponents called for a change of government after it adopted a UN plan to try suspects in former premier Rafiq Hariri's murder. Despite the resignations of six pro-Syrian ministers, the cabinet on Monday approved the…
Last January, the Kremlin cut off gas supplies to the Ukraine to punish Kiev. Earlier this month, the AP reported that Gazprom "would more than double the price of gas for Georgia," a struggling pro-Western democracy. Now, the Financial Times reports: A confidential study by Nato economics experts,…
The DNC head released this statement the other day on the resignation of Secretary Rumsfeld: I am glad that President Bush has finally listened to the growing chorus of retired Generals, civilian leaders and Democrats who long ago called for Secretary Rumsfeld's resignation. This is a good first…
Rudy hasn't wavered in his support for stronger border security plus broader immigration reform. From the Times Leader (PA): He recommended that political leaders "do immigration reform" before the 2008 Presidential election cycle begins because it should be easy for both sides to agree on such…
First Jane Harman feels the wrath of the new speaker and now Steny Hoyer. Pelosi is backing Jack Murtha for majority leader because of the boost he gave the Democratic faithful by calling for the rapid withdrawal of troops from Iraq and his "strong voice for national security." Murtha first called…
Some highlights from the senator's appearance on Meet the Press today: On the election: MCCAIN: That we Republicans have lost our way, that we came to Washington to change government and government changed us. The spending, the ethics, the massive programs such as Medicare prescription drug…
Feingold bows out for 2008. Will the anti-war left give in to Hillary or now push for a Gore candidacy to challenge the aura of inevitability surrounding the New York senator?
On this Veterans Day, I wanted to highlight two organizations that assist active duty service members and disabled veterans. Profiled in the Weekly Standard, Unmet Needs is a charity that helps military families facing financial difficulties. Needs.jpg In addition, I am on the board of the Wounded…
From the AP: North Korean television Friday carried a report on the U.S. midterm election, saying the Republican Party suffered a ''crushing defeat'' and claiming that President Bush fired his defense secretary in its wake. The unusually quick response, carried on the North's Korean Central…
In between victory laps around D.C., the incoming Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid may want to release a joint statement that American will is not "teetering" in Iraq and that al Qaeda terrorists in Iraq will be defeated. Our enemies haven't gone away. From Reuters: An alliance of Sunni…
This brief post-election blurb, which I comment on here, has been updated with a longer commentary on why the GOP lost on Tuesday. It's McCain's fault, you see. Of course, the fact that you have to read several paragraphs in before Iraq is even mentioned, and then only in the context of the…
(The Wall Street Journal reports: "GINGRICH EMERGES as top conservative prospect for Republican 2008 field. Ebbing fortunes of Santorum, Allen and Frist leave opening for architect of Republicans' 1994 sweep. Gingrich faults Bush for "very disturbing" post-election news conference, saying earlier…
Over at TCS Daily, J. Peter Pham of James Madison University and George Mason's Michael I. Krauss weigh in on the pending Democratic control of the House Intelligence Committee.
The editors of the Wall Street Journal cut to the chase today on Democrats and Iraq. They write: The biggest question mark, and responsibility, for Democrats is on Iraq and the war on terror. They could do themselves and the country much good by working with Mr. Bush on a strategy toward achieving…
From AP: After battling, Panama wins seat on U.N. Security Council Panama got 164 votes in the 192-member U.N. General Assembly, more than the 120 needed to win the two-year term starting January 1. Venezuela got 11 votes, Guatemala 4 votes, and Barbados 1 vote.
Here's a novel take on the election results that I couldn't disagree with more. And here's an alternative view: Burns lost because of Jack Abramoff. Chaffee lost because heavily Democratic R.I. loathes the GOP national leadership. Corruption has hollowed out the Ohio GOP, which, in turn, impacted…
(The claim that the president and the Senate supported an immigration "amnesty" bill was always bogus, but that didn't stop some Republicans from making that canard the centerpiece of their campaigns. The three most vocal House candidates to do so - in Colorado-7, Arizona-5 and Arizona-8 - lost,…
Lieberman wins, and he did so without compromising his position on Iraq. Indeed, he defended it. I know some Democratic strategists were privately advising him to trim his support for the war. He ignored them. Good for Joe.
Apparently, Tehran's "art exhibition" was quite a success. From the Islamic Republic News Agency: The International Holocaust Exhibition was held at Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art on Wednesday November 1 and was warmly welcomed by Iranian and foreign artists…. Twelve caricaturists were…
The evidence that we never had enough post-invasion troops in Iraq is overwhelming (see here) -- and, no, it isn't Monday morning quarterbacking to say it. As I have noted many times, the "more troops" chorus, though small, began in 2003, in the face of a clearly deteriorating security environment,…
(With the opposition splintered, an Ortega victory seems likely according to preliminary results today. If he wins, will President Ortega keep some distance from Chavez or embrace him? Will President Ortega keep his campaign promises or will he go back to his old socialist, anti-American ways?)…
"Soldiers in Iraq Say Pullout Would Have Devastating Results," is the headline on page A-13 of today's Washington Post. Do you think the Post's editors would have splashed this piece on the front page had these troops embraced plans for large-scale "redeployments" out of Iraq? The reality is most…
(With Hussein's death sentence for ordering the murder of 148 Shiites in the town of Dubail in the early 1980s, it's unclear whether his other trial will continue.) Posted on August 21, 2006: Saddam's second trial begins today. This time for genocide (see here for info. on Camp Slayer), as the New…
Senator Mel Martinez of Florida said that it would not the other day on Fox News: I believe that cutting and running from a difficult endeavor is not a way to strengthen our military, but a way to weaken it. Martinez was referring to the "strategic redeployment" plan advocated by many senior…
I'm skeptical, but let's hope. Via Hotline blog: Pew is out with their final pre-election poll and just like the ABC/Wash. Post poll, Pew shows Republicans with momentum. In the generic ballot, Dems lead by just 4 points. More importantly, the GOP has made significant cuts into the Dems once…
The History Channel notes that on this day in 1979: Student followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini send shock waves across America when they storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran. The radical Islamic fundamentalists took 90 hostages. The students were enraged that the deposed Shah had been allowed to enter…
(On October 2, 2006, I wrote: "Last January, the Kremlin cut off gas supplies to the Ukraine to punish Kiev. Is Tbilisi next?" Evidently, it's approaching that line. The AP today reports: "Russia's state-controlled natural-gas monopoly [Gazprom] said it would more than double the price of gas for…
(Since the media is focused on Saddam's nuclear weapons program and Iran's ongoing one, I dusted off this post from last month.) Today's New York Times reports: "The United States and three European allies have given Russia and China a draft text for a Security Council resolution against Iran's…
This piece in today's New York Times notes that Saddam was "as little as a year away" from getting a nuclear weapon. He was that close, as I have noted before. But while I'm no fan of how the Times often frames news stories, it's pretty clear the reporter is referring to 1991 - the year inspectors…
In an editorial today, "STRAIGHT TALK ON THE ARMY." the editors of the New York Post write: Sen. John McCain of Arizona wants more troops. Both in Iraq - and for the Army and Marine Corps generally. McCain is poised for a presidential bid in '08, so there's a bit of political risk to his proposal.…
(CNN just released a presidential preference poll for '08. They note: "On the Republican side, there is a virtual tie for first place, with 29 percent of registered GOPers expressing preference for Giuliani and 27 percent opting for McCain. McCain has picked up 6 points of support since September,…
Reuters reports that Beijing is being its usual helpful self on Darfur. Sudan must first agree before any United Nations peacekeeping force enters its war-wracked Darfur region, China said on Thursday, as its President Hu Jintao met the president of the African state. Beijing is hosting dozens of…
Reuters reports that Beijing is being its usual helpful self on Darfur. Sudan must first agree before any United Nations peacekeeping force enters its war-wracked Darfur region, China said on Thursday, as its President Hu Jintao met the president of the African state. Beijing is hosting dozens of…
The most powerful military alliance in the world can't muster any more troops for its ground commander? From AFP: NATO troops in Afghanistan are insufficient to guarantee a swift victory for coalition troops there, the organisation's commander in the Asian country said in interviews for the British…
Today's Financial Times has an interesting piece on Moqtada al-Sadr, who Powell advised dealing with long ago, and the Mahdi militia: Mr Sadr's movement probably began to splinter in late 2004, when he called off an insurrection against US and British troops. It appears to have disintegrated even…
The veterans group released the following statement: Vets for Freedom, America's largest nonpartisan orgaization representing the active duty troops and veterans of the War on Terror, called for an apology from Senator John Kerry for his remarks belittling U.S. troops. In a campaign stop in…
George Will writes in today's Washington Post: Yet with Allen much diminished and perhaps out of contention, and with Rudy Giuliani not yet doing serious groundwork for a national campaign, the Republican field is already down to two. That is good for only one of them: Romney. But what about Newt…
The nation's largest veterans organization, The American Legion, released the following statement a short time ago: American Legion to Sen. Kerry: Apologize Now INDIANAPOLIS, October 31, 2006 - The National Commander of The American Legion called on Sen. John Kerry to apologize for suggesting that…
Sen. McCain released the following statement today in response to Sen. John Kerry's patronizing remarks on Monday: Senator Kerry owes an apology to the many thousands of Americans serving in Iraq, who answered their country's call because they are patriots and not because of any deficiencies in…
Given the Security Council's routine dithering, it's good to see the Bush administration steadily building a parallel and flexible structure to deal with threats rather than just debate them at Turtle Bay. On Monday, the New York Times reports, more than two dozen countries, including three gulf…
It's no secret that a Giuliani presidential run would complicate McCain's primary strategy just as a Gingrich candidacy would complicate Romney's. Giuliani has obvious strength with independent voters, and he can be very tough on the Democrats. Because he's not a fan of the liberal media…
(Did some checking. It won't happen.) The Washington Post's Kathleen Parker told NBC's Chris Matthews on Sunday that RNC Chair Ken Mehlman "is going to be leaving the National Republican Committee, possibly heading over to the Giuliani camp." That would be big news.
Sen. John Kerry recently claimed on ABC's This Week: "Our own generals tell us the solution in Iraq is not military. If it's not military, don't talk as John McCain does, about putting more troops in…. Talk about how you resolve the political and diplomatic dilemma and sectarian dilemma between…
The Kremlin hasn't been too interested in slapping stiff sanctions on Iran over its rogue nuclear program. On the Security Council, Russia, with an assist from China, has acted more like defense counsel for Tehran than a responsible member of the international community seeking to stem nuclear…
Politicalmoneyline.com reports that Democratic Senate candidate Ned Lamont has tapped his trust fund again and donated another "$2 million … to his campaign committee, raising his General Election contributions to $8,750,000. This is in addition to the $4,001,500 he contributed to his primary…
Don't be surprised to see former Majority Leader Dick Armey on the debate stage, perhaps in South Carolina this May. Armey knows full well he won't win the nomination. But, as one knowledgeable source told me, he is seriously considering jumping in for the national exposure and for the chance to…
A few weeks back, Senator Clinton and Senator McCain got in a tussle over the Clinton administration's 1994 Agreed Framework with North Korea. Sen. Clinton said the Framework was a policy success and a lesson for how to deal with Pyongyang. McCain called it a "failure" and something we shouldn't…
The Henry Jackson Society has released an open letter "on the crisis in Darfur, signed by fifty-five politicians, opinion formers, academics and journalists, to both raise awareness of this pressing moral and strategic issue, and call on the international community to end ethnic cleansing in…
From the AP: A Danish court rejected a lawsuit Thursday against the newspaper that first printed the controversial Prophet Muhammad cartoons. Arab politicians and intellectuals warned the verdict would widen the gap between Westerners and Muslims, but said mass protests were unlikely…. The court…
Today's New York Times reports: "The United States and three European allies have given Russia and China a draft text for a Security Council resolution against Iran's nuclear program. The proposal includes the extraordinary step of preventing Iranian students from studying nuclear physics at…
From the Los Angeles Times (sub. req'd): U.S. officials, apparently caught off guard by the Saudi government's recent release of more than two dozen former Guantanamo Bay prisoners, are voicing fears that the men will join the camp of violent extremist groups. The Saudis released the 29 men from…
The former Democratic senator from Nebraska, Bob Kerrey, understands why the John Kerry-endorsed Ned Lamont must be defeated. He is campaigning with Joe Lieberman today in Connecticut. Kerrey is a member of "Dems for Joe," a band of Democrats who haven't bailed on Joe. The group includes former…
The American Enterprise Institute's Frederick Kagan on... our responsibility in Iraq: Both honor and our vital national interest require establishing conditions in Iraq that will allow the government to consolidate and maintain civil peace and good governance. It doesn't matter how many "trained…
Australian Prime Minister John Howard hasn't shied away from speaking out on the global intimation campaign against free speech. He's also not about to run away from Iraq, and he understands the consequences of defeat. Prime Minister John Howard said Wednesday the Iraq mission was not easy, "but we…
Phillip Carter, who served with the 101st Airborne in Iraq, has an interesting piece, "The Thin Green Line," in Slate. He argues precisely against the kind of "over-the-horizon" troop redeployment advocated by many senior Democrats. Some highlights: Despite having 140,000 troops in Iraq, our…
From AFP: Fear of the spread of Islam in non-Muslim countries motivates attacks on Muslims in the West, the imam of Islam's holiest shrine has told worshippers celebrating Eid al-Fitr feast. "Did you wonder why this issue is raised every now and then?" Sheikh Saleh bin Humaid, who also heads the…
For all her talk about changing the tone in Washington, Rep. Pelosi evidently wants to inject more partisanship into the House Intelligence Committee. Today's New York Times reports that a Speaker Pelosi would not appoint Rep. Jane Harman to chair the committee. Why? It isn't because Harmon isn't…
Senator Clinton is a very shrewd politician. She's trying to pull off the nearly impossible: be tough on national security while not alienating too many Democratic primary voters. Her latest two-step is on the terror detainee bill. She opposed the bill and drew wild applause from the Left with this…
Rather than engage in this nonsense, the RNC should take the advice of former Clintonite Dick Morris in today's New York Post: Here's one possible ad: We see and hear a wiretapped conversation, with a terrorist revealing his worst plans to his associate - and, inadvertently, to government…
("Iran is expanding its uranium enrichment program," reports the AP, "even as the U.N. Security Council focuses on possible sanctions for its defiance of a demand to give up the activity and ease fears it seeks nuclear weapons….") USA Today has a good editorial on Russian complicity in Iran's…
The Associated Press reports: 43 French bag handlers denied clearance Authorities rescinded the security clearance of 43 baggage handlers at France's main international airport due to suspicions they were connected with radical organizations, a top government minister said Saturday…. "I cannot…
(From today's LA Times: "The option of regionalizing the effort -- with the help of Iran and Syria -- appears to have the support of former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, the Iraq Study Group co-chairman. The senior U.S. official said that such an approach would require Washington to set…
Here's the latest RNC campaign ad and the DNC's response.
From the Associated Press: A controversial U.S. military propaganda program used in the Iraq war was legal, a Pentagon investigation has found. The Defense Department inspector general's report said laws on psychological operations were followed when the military planted and paid for favorable…
Here's a taste of what Chris Matthews had to say the other night to a college audience at Iowa State: MATTHEWS: How many in this room believe in the war in Iraq from beginning to now, support the war in its full reality? The senator is one of those. Who else agrees with him? Stand up. Stand up,…
Via Hotline blog: Entertainment Weekly: So is there any conceivable possibility in the modern world for the assertion of conventional heroism? EASTWOOD: I don't see it right now. I certainly don't see any politician that's a hero in any party anywhere. I think John McCain did something that I don't…
Today's New York Times has an interesting piece on North Korea's history of proliferating weapons and related material by registering its ships under foreign flags. It also shows how critical it is that Beijing aggressively inspect North Korean shipments coming across the Chinese border. Beijing's…
In July, I noted the following: If the world flinches and the Iranian regime is allowed to move forward with its nuclear weapons plans, does anyone honestly believe the Israelis won't act at some point to stop or degrade Tehran's ability to produce a bomb - even if it takes weeks to do it? I doubt…
Putin's efforts to destabilize the Republic of Georgia, a pro-Western democracy, continue. The Associated Press reports that Russian sanctions have effectively severed the Caucasus nation from its biggest market and supplier. Transport and postal links are suspended. Russian canned foods, cooking…
Secretary of State Rice told a news conference held today in Seoul: I hope it (China) has been successful in saying to North Korea that there is really only one path, which is denuclearization and dismantlement of its programs. But there's another path Pyongyang may be eyeing: pop off a few more…
The media have been waiting for an Iraqi "Tet" for a while. In October 2004, dozens of news stories talked about the enemy's Tet strategy in Iraq. Attacks did spike before the presidential election, but not enough to derail Bush's victory. Now, the Tet talk is back with the president's latest…
From AFP: Islamic extremists "viewed 7/7 (the July 7, 2005 suicide attacks on London's transport network) as just the beginning," an unnamed senior source said…. Britain is seen as an easier threat for Al-Qaeda than many other countries because of its historic links with Pakistan, with tens of…
Here are two pieces on Khartoum's support for the Arab militias that are brutalizing the people of Darfur. A defector tells the BBC that the Janjaweed take orders directly from the Sudanese government. "The Janjaweed don't make decisions. The orders always come from the government," he said. "They…
Remember the Afghan man who faced execution because he converted to Christianity? Well, radical Islamists what him back presumably so they can kill him. And if the Italian government doesn't hand him over, the group says they'll murder the Italian journalist they've kidnapped. Disgusting. From AFP:…
Max Boot, author of War Made New: Technology, Warfare, and the Course of History: 1500 to Today, writes in Wednesday's Los Angeles Times (reg. req'd): OF THE MANY failures that have bedeviled the American military effort in Iraq, few are as inexplicable and costly as the failure to commit more…
Following today's signing ceremony for the Military Commissions Act of 2006, a close friend and top-notch lawyer emails: Any challenge to this law will be forum shopped--most likely in San Francisco or perhaps in Michigan somewhere. It will likely be overturned at the District Court level and then…
Today's Los Angeles Times reports: The former secretary of State, who was a longtime aide to former President George H.W. Bush, also said he favored reaching out to Iran and Syria. "I personally believe in talking to your enemies," [Secretary James Baker] said. "Neither the Syrians nor the Iranians…
In a debate yesterday, Sen. Lieberman urged Senate confirmation of John Bolton to be the permanent UN ambassador. "I see no reason not to be for Bolton," said Lieberman. This is another reason to admire the senator from Connecticut who will soon cruise to reelection on November 7.
Going back to the early 1990s, Africa has been a target for al Qaeda. Two letters, dated September 30, 1993 and May 24, 1994, captured during US military operations in Afghanistan related directly to al Qaeda "African Corps" operations in Somalia before and after the U.S. withdrawal in early 1994.…
(The AP reports some good news: "Guatemala, whose candidacy had been backed by the United States, received 109 votes, 15 short of the necessary 124 and triggering a second round. Venezuela trailed with 76 votes." Russia and China reportedly backed Chavez.) Posted on August 9, 2006: This fall the UN…
The Army's top brass have been privately telling folks around D.C. that they could use another 60-80,000 troops. Last week, Senator McCain argued that our ground forces are "overstretched at a time of widespread and very serious challenges" and that we need to "increase substantially the troop…
This Kerry interview from today's Washington Post suggests that post 9/11 he wouldn't have overthrown the Taliban regime as part of his strategy to go after bin Laden and other senior al Qaeda leaders: KERRY: …For instance, in response to 9/11, there's clarity. We've got to go kill al-Qaeda....…
From The Australian: An elite Australian Special Air Service team of about 20 soldiers has been involved in a joint military operation in the southern Philippines to hunt down Asia's most wanted terrorists, including two of the 2002 Bali bombers. The SAS has been participating in a US-Philippines…
Of all the presidential camps to use Vietnam against McCain, the Clinton folks should be the last one. This is from Maureen Dowd's column in today's New York Times: Privately, Hillary's camp was not overly upset by the McCain swipe because it suspected he was doing the bidding of the White House…
InsideDefense.com's Elaine Grossman tackles that question here.
The International Crisis Group has released its latest report on Darfur. They write: Unless concerted action is taken against the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), Khartoum will continue its military campaign, with deadly consequences for civilians, while paying only lip service to its many…
Did anyone else notice that in Jimmy Carter's history of North Korea's nuclear program he failed to mention even once that after 1995 Pyongyang had been running a secret uranium enrichment program, a program that violated the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (which the North was still a party to at…
I'm sorry to hear that former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner has bowed out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. If you're a JFK-Scoop Jackson Democrat, where do you turn? Hillary? Gore? Kerry? Edwards? All four have now positioned themselves to the left on major national security…
Here's more evidence from the AP: The U.N. said Thursday it has temporarily pulled international staff out of parts of Somalia controlled by Islamic radicals after receiving written threats. The U.N. said the threats came shortly after the Sept. 17 shooting deaths of an Italian nun and her…
Many Americans probably view Sen. McCain's statement that the Clinton administration's 1994 Agreed Framework with North Korea was a "failure" as an obvious point. McCain's comment came after Sen. Hillary Clinton and other senior Democrats were all over the media touting the '94 agreement as a model…
From today's Wall Street Journal editorial: Are Messrs. Reid, Dean, Menendez et al. concerned about nuclear weapons getting into terrorist hands and U.S. ports? They tell us they are. Then perhaps they might publicly call on China and Russia to join the Proliferation Security Initiative, the most…
Since Sen. Clinton is fond of her administration's 1994 deal with North Korea, I wonder if she feels the same about the deal the Clinton administration cut with the Russians a year later -- a deal that "emboldened Moscow to ignore other agreements, particularly on sales of missile and nuclear…
The senator's office just released the following statement: McCAIN CALLS FOR TOUGH SANCTIONS BY U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL, REBUTS SEN. CLINTON'S CRITICSM, CITING FAILURE OF CLINTON ADMINISTRATION POLICIES ON NORTH KOREA Washington D.C. -- U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today expressed support for…
In today's New York Post, Ralph Peters calls for a larger Army and Marine Corps and also notes: "Had the same voices demanded another 100,000-plus troops in 2003 or even 2004, it would have made a profound, positive difference. Now it's too late." But there were voices back then worried that we…
Since 2003, there haven't been nearly enough U.S. troops in Iraq (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here). And today this from AP: For months, soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade fought in riverside towns of western Iraq, trying to clamp off the flow of foreign fighters and…
This isn't just about North Korea. You can bet that Tehran is watching the world's reaction to Pyongyang's defiance very closely. If confirmed, will North Korea pay a price for exploding a nuclear weapon or will the world community huff and puff and sweep all this unpleasantness under the rug? Will…
Three months ago Pyongyang fired off a missile, but the Security Council didn't do much about it. Today they reportedly conducted a nuclear test, and some commentators are already saying we can't do much about it except engage in "direct talks" with the North. Not so, says the AEI's Dan Blumenthal,…
(Are seeing-eye dogs next? A faithful reader from Australia emails this from the Herald Sun.) (The Australian weighs in with this editorial: "It is a situation which both demonstrates the global nature of the debate on values and which presents a textbook case of how not to deal with Islamic…
Journalist Anna Politkovskaya was murdered last night in Moscow, reports Reuters: Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin, was shot dead on Saturday at her apartment block in central Moscow, police said. "According to initial information she was killed…
(The Wall Street Journal has an excellent editorial (sub req'd) this morning on standing with Georgia. They write: "The world needs to watch Russia's current pressure on Georgia. Its decision this week to ban trade, travel and postal links to neighboring Georgia isn't the first time Moscow has…
From the AP: McCain spoke to a crowd of more than 120 Army, Marine, Navy and Air Force veterans and their families [in South Carolina] at a monument to dead service members. One wing of the monument had a handful of names of people killed in the first Gulf War and during the past two years in Iraq…
Reuters reports: PRAGUE, Oct 6 - Islamic extremists planned to kidnap dozens of Jews in Prague and hold them hostage before murdering them, the daily Mlada Fronta Dnes reported on Friday. The Czech Republic's leading newspaper quoted unidentified sources close to intelligence agencies as saying the…
Though I'm a rabid Red Sox fan, I have to say that the New York Yankees are a class act when it comes to helping our injured men and women in the armed forces. I am on the board of the Wounded Warrior Project, and the Yankees have helped our Wounded Warriors in many ways. Without their generosity…
The Foley mess has thrown Republicans back on their heels, and the Democrats would like to keep them off balance. But through it all, one poll number has remained relatively constant: the GOP still has a sizable edge on the security issue in many surveys. Today's Wall Street Journal notes (see here…
The NYT's Michael Gordon reports on the military's new counterinsurgency doctrine. Some highlights: [The doctrine] draws on the hard-learned lessons from Iraq and makes the welfare and protection of civilians a bedrock element of military strategy…. The current military leadership in Iraq has…
(Today's Washington Post has a lengthy piece on the GSPC. A couple of points: The Post suggests that since 2003 the GSPC "has planted deep roots in Europe [and] in the past year, authorities have broken up cells in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland…" But there's evidence (see below)…
Hundreds of thousands of non-Arabs have been killed in Darfur, with more killed and displaced every day, and this is the cheap politics being played by Arab governments. From the Associated Press: Maamoun Fandy of the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London said the Arab League is…
(The Australian weighs in with this editorial: "It is a situation which both demonstrates the global nature of the debate on values and which presents a textbook case of how not to deal with Islamic fundamentalists in the West. Rather than threatening such cabbies with fines or loss of licence for…
Germany's Spiegel has a provocative interview with Bassam Tibi, the Syrian-born Islam expert who became a German citizen in 1967. SPIEGEL: The administrator of one of Berlin's opera houses, the Deutsche Oper, has cancelled the Mozart Opera "Idomeneo" out of fear of an Islamist reaction. Is this the…
(Will Sen. Clinton et al. file an amicus brief in this case? According to Reuters, "attorneys for 25 men being held in Afghanistan launched a pre-emptive strike Monday against President Bush's plan to prosecute and interrogate terror suspects. Court documents filed Monday demand that the men be…
Radio Free Europe reports: There was a time when teachers in Iran's schools used to give students golden paper stars to encourage them. Nowadays it seems that stars are being given for punishment: the term "students with stars" is used to describe students who have been expelled or suspended from a…
George Will, a supporter of the Iraq invasion, writes approvingly about this nugget from Bob Woodward's State of Denial: The book actually includes one heartening story that should enhance Rumsfeld's reputation. On Veterans Day, 2005, the president traveled to a Pennsylvania Army depot to deliver a…
A couple of things from this interview with former Reagan Navy Secretary John Lehman: "We're building only five ships a year; we're on the way to a 150-ship Navy" he says. In his view, that is courting disaster. "That is not enough to cover our security requirements," he says. "Seventy-percent of…
(The Russian screw tightens, reports The Independent in Britain.) (Moscow has never fully accepted Georgia's independence and continues its intimidation campaign against this struggling democracy. Last January, the Kremlin cut off gas supplies to the Ukraine to punish Kiev. Is Tbilisi next? Will…
The war is a big issue in an extremely competitive eastern Iowa Congressional race. Democratic Bruce Braley wants to runaway from Iraq (see here for more on Dem withdrawal plans), while his opponent, Mike Whalen, doesn't. Braley has been warmly embraced by the very liberal Sen. Tom Harkin and is so…
I suspect this issue will surface at other airports in the U.S. From the AP: Muslim Cabdrivers May Have to Signify Alcohol-Free Cars MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 30 (AP) - Hundreds of Muslim cabdrivers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport may soon be required to put different colored lights atop…
Yesterday's Washington Post reports: Senate and House conferees also agreed yesterday on $463 billion in overall defense spending for fiscal 2007, a 3.6 percent increase over 2006. To ease the strain on U.S. ground forces, the conference report called for an increase of 30,000 soldiers and 5,000…
A big rap against Hillary Clinton getting the Democratic presidential nod has been that her position on the Iraq War has put her at odds with the party's anti-war base. Lefty bloggers and prominent liberal journals like The Nation have pounded away at her for not doing a John Kerry-like flip-flop…
I assume many modern-day Democrats would view FDR as an extra-constitutional tyrant running a "thinly veiled military dictatorship." From today's Washington Post: The [terrorist detainee] bill contains some protections unavailable to the eight Nazi saboteurs who came ashore in the United States in…
(Today's Christian Science Monitor has more on his bid for a Security Council seat: "One country that supports Venezuela's campaign is China, which is perhaps not enthralled with the Chávez rhetoric but is lured by the idea of more countries holding its worldview on the Council. China has not been…
The Senate passed the terrorist detainee bill tonight, 65 to 34. The minority leader opposed final passage, as did all the prospective Democratic presidential candidates - Bayh, Biden, Kerry, Feingold, and Hillary Clinton. Here's Sen. Clinton's statement opposing the bill: The Senate, under the…
(The House also passed legislation yesterday authorizing a robust terrorist wiretapping program. 177 Democrats voted against final passage, including Hoyer and Tauscher.) To understand just how much the Democratic center has collapsed look no further than Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer. Last…
A reader emails on this ("Al-Qaida in Iraq: 4,000 Insurgents Dead") AP piece: Yikes. You mean they have an actual number? Do the guys who wrote the NIE think the Iraq war created more than 4000 active, fighting terrorists?
Senator Clinton made the following statement on the NIE on September 25: Its findings as described in the press are deeply distressing because they confirm what a lot of us feared that the policies pursued by this administration have not worked and therefore we are breeding terrorists who will not…
Ned Lamont is still getting trounced in the polls, reports the Hartford Courant: Lieberman maintains a 10-point advantage among likely voters in the poll, leading Lamont 49 percent to 39 percent in a three-way race. Republican Alan Schlesinger trails with 5 percent…. The Quinnipiac poll showed…
Reuters reports: Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans on Wednesday not to bow to fears of Islamic violence after a Berlin opera house canceled a Mozart work over concerns some scenes could enrage Muslims and pose a security risk. "I think the cancellation was a mistake. I think self-censorship…
Given Sen. Hillary Clinton's remark yesterday, I'm certain that if my husband and his national security team had been shown a classified report entitled 'Bin Laden Determined To Attack Inside the United States' he would have taken it more seriously than history suggests it was taken by our current…
In 1998, bin Laden officially declared war on all Americans. It was the "individual duty for every Muslim," bin Laden declared, "to kill the Americans and their allies -- civilians and military." His declaration was apparently an effective recruitment tool. By 2001, al Qaeda had trained in…
From AFP: Japan's new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has put rewriting the US-imposed pacifist constitution at the top of his agenda, a move that could lead to a more active military role overseas but alarm neighboring countries. Abe, who took office Tuesday as Japan's first prime minister born after…
Here's the "Declassified Key Judgments of the National Intelligence Estimate Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the United States dated April 2006." Among other things, the NIE, which Democrats have embraced, indicates that a jihadist failure in Iraq would hurt their cause. It will be…
The Supreme Court ruled against aspects of the president's policy on the handling of those captured in the war we are engaged in. The elected president then goes to Congress seeking legislation that is consistent with the Court's Hamdan decision. He comes to an agreement with Senators McCain,…
The folks at Britain's Henry Jackson Society have an interesting response (click on "latest editorial") to David Cameron's recent foreign policy speech that I discussed two weeks ago. They write: The cherry picking between the Hurd-Rifkind school of realism and the liberal interventionism of…
From CBS News: SMITH: I want to go back now to Michael Scheuer once again. Let's talk about what President Clinton had to say on Fox yesterday. He basically laid blame at the feet of the CIA and the FBI for not being able to certify or verify that Osama bin Laden was responsible for a number of…
Yesterday, the Democrats got together with some retired generals who've been highly critical of Sec. Rumsfeld's handling of the Iraq War. The generals spoke before the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, but, as the Washington Post's Dana Milbank notes, they also delivered a message the Democrats…
One way to send a message to Hugo Chavez, as Sen. McCain argues, is for Senate Democrats to stop obstructing the confirmation of John Bolton as UN Ambassador. From the AP: Bolton Derides Venezuela Airport Protest UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- U.S. Ambassador John Bolton on Monday derided the Venezuelan…
President Clinton also claimed on Fox News yesterday that "all the right-wingers" believed he was "too obsessed" with bin Laden, that he "did too much" in going after the al Qaeda head. The reality is a bit different. Many conservatives applauded Clinton's decision to strike in Sudan and…
"So you did Fox's bidding on this show. You did your nice little conservative hit job on me. What I want to know is…." President Clinton's remark aired on the very day two of the nation's most prominent papers, the Washington Post and the New York Times, ran above-the-fold stories on a classified…
In his Fox News interview, President Clinton stated: All of President Bush's neo-cons thought I was too obsessed with bin Laden. They had no meetings on bin Laden for nine months after I left office. All the right-wingers who now say I didn't do enough said I did too much - same people. Not quite.…
Senator McCain made some important points today on CBS' Face the Nation. He pointed out that al Qaeda has recruited successfully over the years by highlighting its "successes" against the U.S., which is why "we need to prevail in Iraq." Indeed, in the 1990s bin Laden would claim that Mogadishu and…
Here are some things Bill Clinton didn't mention in his Fox News Sunday interview that will air tomorrow morning. ABC's "The Path to 9/11," the USS Cole and John O'Neill What Newly Released al Qaeda Letters on Somalia/U.S. Withdrawal Tell Us Does Secretary Madeleine Albright Regret Calling for…
Howard Dean may believe "THE fight on terror" is in Afghanistan. But the reality is the fight is global, as Tony Blair recently noted. Here's another example of what Blair's talking about from Reuters: MANILA, Sept 22 - Islamic militants from Indonesia have been training radicals in the southern…
Here's the transcript from President Clinton's anger-filled interview with Fox News Sunday's Chris Wallace. The interview will air tomorrow. Clinton does make a few valid points, but he also neglects to mention many others. I'll write more on this later.
(From AP: Bombings inflame tensions in Kosovo -- Over the past week, there have been four bombings…. But parliament speaker Kole Berisha insists the violence is a deliberate attempt to destabilize Kosovo at a delicate stage in its drive for statehood…. But the chances of more violence like the…
(If you get a chance, read Charles Krauthammer's excellent piece in today's Washington Post. He writes: "And the intimidation succeeds: politicians bowing and scraping to the mob over the cartoons; Saturday's craven New York Times editorial telling the pope to apologize; the plague of…
AFP reports: Israel and Saudi Arabia have been conducting secret negotiations, the top-selling Hebrew daily reported on its front page. "Secret negotiations between Israel and Saudi Arabia," headlined Yediot Aharonot, reporting that contacts had begun during the recent 34-day war in Lebanon between…
Why? The ACLU and the editors at the New York Times don't like the terrorist interrogation deal. The Times is urging Senate Democrats to filibuster the bill and the ACLU is calling it a "charade of a compromise." It doesn't get any better than that if you're a Republican considering a run at the…
Nancy Pelosi and Charles Rangel were quick to condemn the remarks of Hugo Chavez. Good for them. But there's something else afoot here. I suspect Democratic election strategists are a bit nervous over all this. Americans view Democrats as far more willing to work through the UN to deal with…
As I have noted many times, Australian Prime Minister John Howard is a rock-solid U.S. ally and a strong world leader in the War on Terror. He hasn't taken the David Cameron path of backpedaling on the decision to remove Saddam from power or that of Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez…
Two newspapers with two very different opening paragraphs today on the state of the GOP -- From the Los Angeles Times: President Bush's approval rating has reached its highest level since January, helping to boost the Republican Party's image across a range of domestic and national security issues…
From AP: [Chavez] later spoke to hundreds of New Yorkers who filled a college hall Wednesday night, saying he hopes Americans choose an "intelligent president" in the future…. He drew a standing ovation when he said Bush committed genocide during the war in Iraq. "The president of the United…
Since the Georgian democratic revolution in 2003, U.S.-Georgia relations have warmed considerably. The U.S. military recently signed another military assistance accord with the former Soviet republic, and Radio Free Europe reports that NATO will announce tomorrow that formal talks will begin with…
In an interview last night with Fox's Bill O'Reilly, Gov. Mitt Romney made some good points. He spoke on the global nature of the war we are engaged in and warned that too many in the world don't fully understand the threat posed by the "extreme, violent jihadists." The governor criticized those…
The Arizona senator has come under an avalanche of criticism from conservatives (though Reagan Secretary of State George Schulz supports his position) for his opposition to making changes to Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions. Agree or disagree with him, McCain makes his case in today's…
Tony Blankley explains in today's Washington Times.
(According to the latest USA Today/Gallup poll, "the Bush administration's strategy of emphasizing the continuing threat of terrorism may be having an effect. President Bush's job approval rating has risen to 44%. Americans have become more positive about the war on terror. Voters are more likely…
Here are two pieces worth reading. The editors at the Wall Street Journal write: It's a familiar spectacle: furious demands for an apology, threats, riots, violence. Anything can trigger so-called Muslim fury: a novel by a British-Indian writer, newspaper cartoons in a small Nordic country or, this…
(I noted in an earlier post that I'd checked to see if any of the material below is discussed and evaluated in the latest Senate Intelligence Committee report. It isn't. In fact, there's not a single mention of either group in the report. ) Posted on September 14, 2006: The BBC reports on…
This time things would be different. If Iran didn't stop uranium enrichment by a date certain, Tehran's defiance would be met by a tough, united international response. Think again. From The Independent: President Jacques Chirac has broken ranks with the US and Britain by calling for the suspension…
The AP reports: The president of Somalia's interim government narrowly escaped a suicide bomber yesterday - a new tactic in a troubled land where an Islamic militia is vying for power. The leader's brother and 10 others died in the blast and a subsequent gun battle. The foreign minister said the…
From Reuters: Gunmen killed an Italian nun at a children's hospital in Mogadishu on Sunday in an attack that drew immediate speculation of links to Muslim anger over the Pope's recent remarks on Islam. The Catholic nun's guard also died from pistol shots in the latest attack on foreign personnel in…
(David Cameron's Clinton-like triangulation continues.) Posted on September 12, 2006: Britain's Conservative Party leader, David Cameron, made a few good points in a foreign policy speech delivered yesterday. But it was also a bit confusing on substance at times. The prospective British PM said,…
Perhaps not. Pope John Paul II often spoke on the decline of European Christianity and the continent's empty churches. But Pope Benedict XVI's recent trip to Germany may foreshadow a Christian resurgence, reports the Christian Science Monitor. [S]ome may be surprised at the receptivity in Germany…
There will likely be more violent acts like this one as the current final status talks draw to a close -- and possibly for some time after. From AP: Kosovo interior minister's car bombed Fri Sep 15, 6:29 AM ET A bomb placed under the Kosovo interior minister's car exploded early Friday in an…
The National Review's Rich Lowry writes: Lawrence Korb and Peter Ogden of the Center for American Progress had an op-ed in the Washington Post Thursday responding to the piece I wrote with Bill Kristol the other day. They argue we simply don't have any additional troops to send to Iraq. The…
The BBC reports on Zawahiri's latest claim "that a radical Algerian Islamist group has joined al-Qaeda and is being urged to punish France." In the video that aired on a website on September 11, Zawahiri stated: "Osama Bin Laden has told me to announce to Muslims that the GSPC [the Salafist Group…
Jimmy Carter on CNN: "I've lost my confidence in Joe Lieberman and don't wish to see him re-elected." Meanwhile, taking a page out of Jimmy Carter's playbook, Bill Clinton is overseas dumping the U.S., reports The Times (London): "You've got a great economy, better growth than America has and less…
(A reader from our good friend Australia writes: I saw your post 'Fighting Corruption as an Anti-Poverty Program' and how "too little attention is given to one of the biggest barriers to lifting nations out of chronic poverty -- rampant government and business corruption." Our Australian Prime…
Regarding my September 8 post, a professor at one of the nation's war colleges emails: This line from Bodine's CYA op-ed says it all: "The Cole was also a crime scene, and crew members were witnesses." At no other time in US history, can I remember an attack against a US warship considered a mere…
Britain's Conservative Party leader, David Cameron, made a few good points in a foreign policy speech delivered yesterday. But it was also a bit confusing on substance at times. The prospective British PM said, for example, that he supported the ouster of Saddam but then went on to quote a line…
Radio Free Europe reports that the Iranian oil minister is worried enough about falling crude prices to float consideration of OPEC production cuts. "'The high level of crude oil production has led global oil reserves to rise above the usual level,' he said [in Vienna], provoking ‘instability and…
From today's Wall Street Journal editorial: What would Jack Bauer do? If he worked at the CIA in real life today, the anti-terror hero of Fox's "24" would apparently be buying insurance in case the ACLU or John Kerry decided to sue or subpoena him for protecting America with too much vigor. The…
(National Review's Rich Lowry and the Standard's Bill Kristol weigh in on the troop issue in today's Washington Post.) In Iraq, the lack of troops has been a major problem for years, and little has been done about it. A review: From the May 3, 2004 Weekly Standard: But can the coalition get the…
The BBC reports: A Somali radio station has resumed broadcasting after it was closed down by Islamist leaders for playing local love songs. However, Radio Jowhar is no longer playing any music, even jingles. The Union of Islamic Courts, which controls much of the south, is split between hardliners,…
If you get a chance, I highly recommend reading Mayor Giuliani's piece in USA Today. What it shows is that if Giuliani jumps into the presidential race he'll offer a tough, clear-minded view into the nature of the enemy, and he will be unabashed in taking on the liberals on national security…
Yesterday, on Fox News Sunday, Howard Dean stated: You know, Afghanistan is turning against us, and that is where the fight on terror is. That's where Osama bin Laden is. Osama bin Laden has not been captured five years later. That's a big problem. The "fight on terror is" in Afghanistan, but it's…
(Marc Sumerlin, formerly deputy director of the National Economic Council, outlines a sanctions strategy in the current Weekly Standard. He notes: "The most important policy would be to announce without delay a coordinated release of strategic petroleum stocks…. Global government-controlled…
(KSL.com reports: "A controversy over words at BYU this morning. A professor is on paid leave for suggesting the government is responsible for the destruction of the World Trade Center. The man on paid leave is Dr. Steven Jones. He's a physics professor involved in the so-called ‘9-11 Truth…
Letter to the Editor of the Washington Times, September 6, 2006: Friday's Page One article "Gingrich opposed to U.S. strike on Iran" suggests that former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich would oppose a possible military action against Iran to prevent the regime from becoming a nuclear power. This…
Weighing in on the ABC mini-series "The Path to 9/11," the former ambassador to Yemen, Barbara Bodine, writes ("9/11 Miniseries is Bunk") in today's Los Angeles Times: One of the myths perpetuated by ABC played out in the steamy port city of Aden, Yemen, in October 2000, using an FBI agent out of…
It's definitely campaign season. This proposal -- the idea that you would cede decisions of such magnitude from the elected commander-in-chief to ground commanders -- is beyond silly. The President, whether Republican or Democrat or Independent, decides when the military objective has been met and…
AFP reports that "China has said it remains opposed to sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear drive, one day after top US envoy Christopher Hill nudged Beijing to take more action over the issue." Guess this is one way China is thanking us for going to bat for them at the I.M.F.
In a speech today, Senator and potential Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden "blasts" the president's national security policies: It is time for America to recapture the totality of our strength -- our military, economic, and diplomatic might…. That is what won the Cold War. That is what…
(The news gets better for Romney with the editors of the Boston Globe attacking him for being "under the influence of those deliberate simplifiers" in the "far right." Of course, one major thing the liberal sophisticates at the Globe don't mention is that under Khatami, as Middle East scholar Reuel…
The Atlantic Monthly's Robert Kaplan has a piece (sub req'd), "Hostage to Fortune," worth reading in today's Wall Street Journal. He makes one point that Republicans hardly ever talk about nowadays: [I]magine how Saddam might have dominated the Arab masses - with rising oil prices, the $50-billion…
Tom Jocelyn has some interesting stuff on his blog regarding a Q & A exchange Time columnist Joe Klein had yesterday on the magazine's web site. PS-- Klein also writes: "I think Murtha's plan is to withdraw to neighboring countries, so we can move in and out of Iraq in case of emergencies-and…
(The Times in Britain reports that the war with Hezbollah has led to a "strategic rethink in Israel" that focuses on "the two biggest state sponsors of terrorism in the region, who pose a far greater danger to Israel's existence.") Posted on July 18, 2006: If the world flinches and the Iranian…
The Globe and Mail in Canada has more on the plot to destroy a British landmark using 600 kilograms of ammonium nitrate. She started out looking for a husband. Instead, the young Carleton University student became a key conduit for thousands of dollars that, police say, was financing terrorism.…
Paul Marshall's piece, "A Conversion You Can't Refuse," in the current Weekly Standard provides some useful context to an Associated Press report, "Palestinian group to target non-Muslims," that ran on Saturday. From AP: Palestinian militants who held two Fox News journalists hostage for nearly two…
Call it a twofer. In conservative circles, bashing Khatami and Harvard is never bad politics. Thus, the Romney folks just put out this press release: ROMNEY DENOUNCES KHATAMI VISIT TO HARVARD Governor Mitt Romney today ordered all Massachusetts state government agencies to decline support, if…
David Lynch has a very interesting piece in today's USA Today. It suggests that that the conventional wisdom on Iran - that it holds all the economic cards in the nuclear showdown - is largely wrong. The regime may be much more vulnerable to comprehensive sanctions than many realize. Lynch notes…
Christopher Hitchens isn't a fan of making September 11 a national holiday: I don't care that I am no longer able - because of the supposed "sensitivities" of people who were only involved at random - to watch the graphic pictures of what really happened. I have those pictures in my head, and can…
The Georgian interior ministry revealed Monday that an attempt had been made on August 28 to down the helicopter carrying US ally [Georgian president] Saakashvili and a team of US senators led by influential Republican lawmaker John McCain. "A Strela-2 anti-aircraft missile was fired at the…
(Vets for Freedom has released a new television ad, reports the New York Times, featuring Connecticut veterans: "When we were over there, it was important to know that someone had our back,'' one veteran says. "Like Senator Lieberman," adds a second. The ad continues with four phrases, with each…
(Bloomberg news reports: "Danish authorities arrested nine people suspected of involvement in planning a terrorist attack, the country's police intelligence service said…. The arrests were made after police uncovered evidence that a number of the suspects had 'materials that can be used for the…
It's always interesting to read Sen. John Warner's take on what is going on in Iraq today. But missing from the piece is exactly what George Will would do (not just what he wouldn't do) now in Iraq. After all, before the war he advanced straightforward arguments making the case for removing Saddam…
(New Hampshire tax dollars at work. From Reuters: A University of New Hampshire professor has come under fire from state politicians for teaching his unconventional view that a U.S. government conspiracy allowed the September 11, 2001 attacks to occur…. "What we learn in the mainstream is not the…
Lt. Gen. Trey Obering, director of the Missile Defense Agency, held a press conference late this afternoon on the successful anti-missile test conducted earlier today. I believe that the course that we've taken overall has been the right one, which is -- remember, we had no defense against these…
Containment advocates oppose military action against Iran's nuclear facilities, arguing that a strike won't work, that the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran is exaggerated, and that Iran can be contained. Others argue that Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, that all options should…
Former Reagan Secretary of State Shultz has an interesting piece, Sustaining Our Resolve, in the latest Policy Review. Some highlights: On December 29, 2000, the Security Council strongly condemned "the continuing use of the areas of Afghanistan under the control of the Afghan faction known as…
(Fox guarding the hen house? From AP: U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Friday that Syria has pledged to step up border patrols and work with the Lebanese army to stop the flow of weapons to Hezbollah….According to Annan, Assad said at a meeting in Damascus that Syria will boost the number…
The Jerusalem Post reports: IDF troops discovered an underground tunnel earlier this week that had been dug by terror operatives on the outskirts of the Shajaiyeh neighborhood in Gaza City. The opening of the 13-meter-deep, 150-meter-long tunnel was found inside a building at least one kilometer…
Despite objections from Britain, the Netherlands and a few other nations, the Bush administration is pushing to give China more voting weight at the International Monetary Fund to reflect its growing economic power and encourage Beijing to become a "stakeholder" in the international system.…
Last month, the Security Council offered Iran "incentives" to come clean on its nuclear program. It also gave Tehran a deadline of August 31 to stop enriching uranium. But it's doubtful the regime will take the Security Council seriously until China and Russia stop coddling it. From today's…
Today, Secretary Rumsfeld resurrected a theme from Jeane Kirkpatrick's famous 1984 "San Francisco Democrats" speech in which she took on the "blame America first" crowd. She said: The American people know that it's dangerous to blame ourselves for terrible problems that we did not cause. They…
The Lamont victory indicates that the road to the Democratic presidential nomination runs straight through the party's anti-war base. John Kerry and John Edwards long ago abandoned their hawkish positions on Iraq. Others, like Hillary, hedged. But since Lieberman's defeat, the New York senator has…
The Washington Post's Dana Milbank reviews a forum, sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), held yesterday at the National Press Club. As Milbank observes, the featured speakers, John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Harvard's Stephen Walt, made a point to single…
Once Clinton was in office, the first President Bush had enough class to travel the world without trashing the sitting Democratic president - and during Clinton's presidency the elder Bush could have said a lot. I wish I could say the same for this failed one-term president who regularly attacks…
Reuters reports: Saudi Arabia has released over 700 suspected militants after clerics "corrected" their thinking in a special program aimed at stemming a three-year-old campaign of violence by al Qaeda, officials said. "They are sympathizers. There are many of this kind of people, who are subject…
Just after Lamont's primary victory, I noted that Hillary Clinton has tried to keep some distance from the party's noisy anti-war wing. Appearing with Lamont may endear [her] to the party's base, but it would also tie [her] to a candidate, who, in the words of Joe Lieberman, holds views that are…
It's an old story. The Sudanese regime continues its brutal campaign in Darfur and tells the UN to take a hike. Actually, Khartoum tells those nations who care about stopping the killing to get lost. The regime pays no price for its defiance. Why? No, it's not because George Bush invaded Iraq. For…
Four percent of the world's trade passes through the Panama Canal, making it a tempting terror target.
Lt. Col. Stephen Coonen has an interesting piece in the US Army War College journal Parameters on the widening military capabilities gap between American and European forces. He argues: The improbability of many European states committing more of their treasuries toward defense suggests that…
From today's New York Times: The consensus of the intelligence agencies is that Iran is still years away from building a nuclear weapon. Such an assessment angers some in Washington, who say that it ignores the prospect that Iran could be aided by current nuclear powers like North Korea. "When the…
I'm not sure what to make of this, though Jerusalem must be enjoying it. Speaking of Damascus, what's the status of the UN investigation into the role Syria may have played in the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister? Has it been swept under the rug as part of the recent cease-fire…
Tony Blankley of the Washington Times looks at what the world would look like if the president adopted the policies of his critics for the remainder of his term. You can add to Blankley's list the huge shot in the arm all this would give to al Qaeda. And a few months back, Gerard Baker speculated…
Tony Blankley of the Washington Times looks at what the world would look like if the president adopted the policies of his critics for the remainder of his term. You can add to Blankley's list the huge shot in the arm all this would give to al Qaeda. And a few months back, Gerard Baker speculated…
Today's USA Today/Gallup poll shows an up tick in the president's approval rating. It's now 42 percent, "suggesting that more positive evaluations of Bush could be tied to his handling of terrorism." Other polls also show a GOP advantage on security-related issues. An AP poll conducted well before…
(The latest poll has Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega leading the presidential race by 10 points. Venezuela's Chavez, who's been lobbying for a seat on the UN Security Council, has been just as busy trying to put Ortega in office. A Chavez win on both counts would obviously not be good news for the…
Saddam's second trial begins today. This time for genocide (see here for info. on Camp Slayer), as the New York Times reports: Mr. Hussein sat stone-faced in a courtroom in the fortified Green Zone of Baghdad, listening as prosecutors gave a detailed account of how Mr. Hussein and six co-defendants…
Call me a skeptic. From this weekend's Wall Street Journal: A senior State Department official contends that 'Hezbollah has been boxed in militarily.' Today's Journal editorial explains that given the facts on the ground in Lebanon it may be the U.S. that has been "boxed in." Resolution 1701 also…
Likud member Yuval Steinitz has an interesting piece in Haaretz. He argues: In recent years, a concept of ''victory from the air'' developed, negating the need for ground maneuvers or improved firepower on ground or in sea. In the case of Lebanon, a specific concept of repelling Katyusha rockets…
(This reaction to the cease-fire is not good news, and now Iran's Ahmadinejad is calling for the US to "disarmed.") Posted on August 7, 2006: This report out of Damascus is why Hezbollah must be routed in southern Lebanon. Key quotes: In the last few weeks alone [Damascus shop owner] Ali says he…
Two Iraq War veterans, Wade Zirkle and Connecticut native Josh Clark, make the case for Joe Lieberman in today's Wall Street Journal. They write: Joseph Lieberman's primary loss might be a satisfying victory for the partisan extremes, but it is a sharp blow to bipartisan efforts to prevail in a…
In his book Fiasco and in this interview with Hugh Hewitt, Tom Ricks points to the 1998 Desert Fox campaign against suspected wmd sites in Iraq as evidence that containment worked. But Clinton himself had no idea how much wmd was destroyed in that campaign. He told Larry King on July 27, 2003:…
Former Clinton administration official Richard Holbrooke and Newt Gingrich pen dueling op-eds, here and here. This is not the first time Holbrooke has got in a tussle of over foreign policy with a Republican. Last October, in a New Yorker piece on Brent Scowcroft and the so-called "realist" camp,…
Sen. Joe Lieberman today (via Hotline on Call): If we just pick up like Ned Lamont wants us to do, get out [of Iraq] by a date certain, it will be taken as a tremendous victory by the same people who wanted to blow up these planes in this plot hatched in England…. It will strengthen them and they…
From the Senate minority leader: I commend British authorities for defusing this terror plot and apprehending the suspects. Their actions protected the lives of innocent civilians, including many American citizens. Today's events are an important reminder that we need to renew our focus on the war…
A short time ago, the British government released two reports -- here and here -- on the July 7, 2005 terrorist bombings in London, which killed 52 and injured over 800. The reports suggest that more interrogations and more wiretaps may have thwarted the attack, as Gary Schmitt explained in the…
Securitywatchtower.com has a good roundup of news (with multiple links) on the terrorist bomb plot here (scroll up a bit). At the Counterterrorism blog, Evan Kohlman comments: Though for some, news of a reported Al-Qaida plot to down multiple commercial airliners with liquid explosives may sound…
This fall the UN will vote to replace the current non-permanent members of the Security Council with new nations. Though little reported in the media, for many weeks Hugo Chavez has been traveling the globe trolling for enough votes from regimes opposed to the U.S. to get on the Council. He's been…
Now that Ned Lamont has won, some Democratic presidential candidates will be in a bind. Do they actively campaign for Lamont? Do they appear with him at campaign rallies with the crowd chanting, "Bring Them Home, Bring Them Home" as they did last night during his victory speech? It's no accident…
Here's what Sen. Lieberman had to say this morning on the Today show about his opponent - the same one all the '08 Democratic presidential candidates are cutting checks for and offering congratulations: My opponent says let's get all our troops out by a deadline. I saw that will be dangerous for…
AFP reports: MIRANSHAH, Pakistan -- Pro-Taliban militants beheaded a pro-government tribal elder in Pakistan's restive tribal region bordering Afghanistan, officials said. The body of Loi Khan was found dumped on a road in Garhiyoum, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Miranshah, the main town…
First, Fidel goes missing and now another dictator hasn't been seen publicly for some time.
From Israel to Lebanon to Iraq, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been fomenting war (see here for more on this) in a bid to intimidate the US and other nations against taking a tougher line on its nuclear enrichment activities: TIKRIT, Iraq -- The U.S. ambassador to Iraq accused Iran on Tuesday of…
(With BP replacing Prudhoe Bay's feeder pipelines, I dusted off a post from a few months back on the construction of the Trans-Alaska pipeline. Back then, overseas events forced Congress's hand by a razor-thin margin.) Posted on April 25, 2006: Last night, PBS' American Experience chronicled the…
Fidel Castro hasn't been seen publicly since July 31, not even a photo of him propped in his hospital bed reading Che's Motorcycle Diaries. There's some speculation at the State Department that if Castro has indeed died, the government may using this time to build up the reputation of his brother,…
This report out of Damascus is why Hezbollah must be routed in southern Lebanon. Key quotes: In the last few weeks alone [Damascus shop owner] Ali says he has sold thousands of posters ranging from close-ups of a serene-looking Nasrallah to Hizbollah fighters stepping over skulls of Israeli…
The war didn't start on September 11. The simultaneous bombing of our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, on August 7, 1998, was just the latest attack in a war al Qaeda had been waging against us since the early 1990s. But we didn't treat it as a war until hijacked jets slammed into the World Trade…
The Center for Naval Analyses has just released a report on "Managing Civil Strife and Avoiding Civil War in Iraq." A senior military analyst emails his take after reviewing the report: There are two interesting things about this report, in my view. First, although the panelists identified the…
On August 2, Jeffrey Gedmin, director of the Aspen Institute Berlin, penned an excellent piece for Die Welt (Germany) on Hezbollah's barbarism and use of "its own people as human shields." He writes: Nabih Berri, speaker of the Lebanon's parliament, says that "the Zionist Dracula's thirst has yet…
(Robert Kagan has a must-read piece in Sunday's Washington Post on Lieberman and his critics.) Yes, they're out there. Thursday's Los Angeles Times poll found that a majority of Democrats prefer neutrality to alignment with Israel. But 39 percent disagree. They believe the US shouldn't remain…
The other day Tony Blair stated: [I]t is almost incredible to me that so much of Western opinion appears to buy the idea that the emergence of this global terrorism is somehow our fault. For a start, it is indeed global. No-one who ever half bothers to look at the spread and range of activity…
Coddling dictatorships around the globe is their specialty. From AFP: China urged non-interference in the affairs of Cuba, following comments by US President George W. Bush offering US support for "democratic change" in the Caribbean nation. "China has all along stood for mutual respect between…
I should have noted this earlier, but late Monday French Foreign Minister Douse de Blazy went to meet the Iranian ambassador in Beirut at the Iranian embassy. Isn't it usually the other way around with the ambassador going to the embassy of the foreign minister - in this case the French embassy? Of…
Last night, in an interview with Fox's Bill O'Reilly, Rudy Giuliani again put himself squarely in the president's camp on immigration reform. The mayor is for tough border security, but he has also made the case in recent speeches that real reform must include a guest worker program and a "path to…
Democratic leaders may support a strong alliance with Israel, but a majority of Democratic voters don't agree. A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll released today found that nearly 60 percent of Americans support Israel in the current conflict. But underneath that number, there is a significant…
You can bet this will some get attention when Secretary Rumsfeld goes before the Senate Armed Services Committee this morning. If the BBC has the full text of the leaked memo, why not provide readers with the entire document (redacting where appropriate)? And if the BBC report is accurate, the…
The Jerusalem Post reports that Israeli forces are close to "recreating the 'security zone' that Israel maintained in south Lebanon from 1982 until the army withdrew in 2000." Israeli commanders have also left open the possibility of "advancing north of the Litani River." Israeli jets, the Post…
The Worldwide Standard has learned that five members of the Congressional Black Caucus, who had previously agreed to campaign with Sen. Lieberman this Sunday in African-American churches, have apparently backed out of their commitments. I'm told that anti-war groups put heavy pressure on the…
Yesterday, Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. It was remarkable speech. It was also noteworthy because on the same day the leader of the Labour Party delivered it, the Washington Post ran a front-page headline, "Hill Democrats Unite to Urge Bush to Begin Iraq…
Somehow this doesn't surprise me. Today's New York Times reports that if Sen. Lieberman loses his primary next Tuesday many Senate Democrats will not campaign for Lamont. A few will even actively support Lieberman's independent run. Then there's John Kerry, who apparently has no problem stepping on…
If you're in to the deliberate mass killing of innocents and the brutal subjugation of those you disagree with, this channel is for you. From AKI (Italy): Rome, 28 July - The next evolution in al-Qaeda's propaganda war is a television channel visible only via the Internet, which has already begun…
In 2000, Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon. Later, the UN Security Council called for the disarmament of Hezbollah. All the while, Hezbollah, armed by Iran and Syria, prepared for war. When war finally erupted, the soldiers of C Company of the Golani Brigade would pay the price. From the London…
The Weekly Standard's Duncan Currie wrote on life after Fidel a few months back - see here.
Daniel Hannan, an Iraq War opponent, pulls no punches on the issue of Iran's quest for nuclear weapons. From the Telegraph: It won't be a "durable" ceasefire, Condi, and it won't be "sustainable"; not while the ayatollahs are in power in Iran. This war isn't about border security, or prisoner…
Here's an unofficial translation of a Project Harmony document (thank you Powerline) on the flow of truck traffic from Iraq into Syria prior to the March 2003 invasion. No one knows with any certainty what was in the trucks, but it's been pretty well established that there was a heavy traffic flow…
We will know whether the latest security strategy for Baghdad has worked in the coming weeks but comparisons to Beirut are not encouraging. The AFP reports that the "mood in Sunni west Baghdad turns in favor of US troops" but also quotes Maj. Coulson: "Right now we're kind of at that level that…
(From the Herald Sun: "The images...show Hezbollah using high-density residential areas as launch pads for rockets and heavy-calibre weapons. Dressed in civilian clothing so they can quickly disappear, the militants carrying automatic assault rifles and ride in on trucks mounted with cannon….…
From a piece in the "Week in Review" section of today's New York Times: Many experts and members of both parties say they worry about the long-term consequences of such bitter partisan polarization and its effect on the longstanding tradition - although one often honored in the breach - that…
Yesterday's performance by Sen. John Kerry at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's hearing for John Bolton was a classic. Aside from lecturing Bolton on the virtue of the 1994 Framework Agreement with North Korea - an agreement he evidently didn't know required Pyongyang to forgo all nuclear…
Alan Dershowitz writes in today's Washington Times: On the basis of his performance, I have become a Bolton supporter. He speaks with moral clarity. He is extremely well prepared. He is extraordinarily articulate. He places the best face on American policy, particularly in the Middle East during…
Today's Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece, "Split Among Arab-Americans Curbs Political Clout." It notes.: Many Lebanese exiles and their families complain that Arab-American advocacy groups focus disproportionately on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to the exclusion of all other…
Israel's ambassador to the UN, Dan Gillerman, is a fan of John Bolton. He told the Washington Post that Bolton's arrival at the UN has been a breath of fresh air at Turtle Bay precisely because he's not your typical diplomat. I'm certainly not going to tell the Senate or House of Representatives…
I wonder if the Speaker will invite President Bush or Rudy Giuliani to testify at these (scroll up) field "hearings"? Both oppose the House-passed immigration bill and support comprehensive reform.
Two editorials worth reading this morning: From the Wall Street Journal: Security in the Iraqi capital has been deteriorating, and especially worrisome is the increasing number of killings by sectarian militias. Many Baghdadis are afraid to leave their neighborhood and sometimes even their homes on…
Today the AP reports: Putting more U.S. soldiers in the streets of Baghdad risks a new showdown with a radical anti-American cleric who has modeled his movement after Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas. Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army has re-emerged as a key force in the majority Shiite community after…
Given her recent remarks, Madeleine Albright should take some time to read Max Boot in today's Los Angeles Times. He writes: Well, then, why on earth are so many pundits blaming President Bush for the current mess in the Middle East? A typical example comes from fellow Los Angeles Times columnist…
Slate's Christopher Hitchens has some interesting material on the Iraqi-Niger yellowcake story.
(The Manhattan Institute's Tamar Jacoby seconds, in the Washington Post, an argument Rudy Giuliani has been making to audiences. She writes: "The point is obvious enough: We need to take the busboys out of the equation (by means of a temporary worker program) so that Border Patrol can focus on the…
This guy, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, was supposed to be dead according to media reports last November. Guess not. In his interview published on the Time magazine website, al-Douri claims that he and other Saddam loyalists are behind much of the insurgency. One of Saddam's top henchmen, al-Douri was a…
In Michigan, Senator John Kerry, commenting on the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict, said: "If I was president, this wouldn't have happened." I doubt a President Kerry would have done much to disarm Hezbollah, but, in any event, we do have a strong indication of how a President Kerry would have handled…
Passed in 2004, UN Security Council Resolution 1559 demanded the "disbanding and disarmament" of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Instead, the group increased its firepower with weapons supplied by Syria and Iran. Now, some UN officials are busy denouncing Israel for taking action against a terror state…
Though little reported in the Western media, Thailand has been facing an insurgency of its own. From the BBC: A teacher has been shot and killed in front of a classroom of children in southern Thailand, according to police. Gunmen disguised themselves as students to shoot the Buddhist teacher at…
Here and here are two takes worth reading on the military difficulties facing Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has had six years to prepare for the Israelis, and thanks to its state sponsors, Iran and Syria, the group's weapons have turned out to be more advanced than Israeli and U.S.…
Once again, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez has become an issue in a presidential campaign. This time in Nicaragua, where Chavez has been showering gifts upon Sandinista party leader Daniel Ortega. Today's Washington Post reports: Ortega, 60, whose armed revolution made him the Reagan administration's…
(No surprise here.) Posted on July 20, 2006: Some EU officials are pushing for an immediate cease-fire on the grounds that continued fighting will weaken the democrats inside Lebanon's government. But the more likely outcome from a premature cease-fire would be an emboldened Hezbollah with…
ABC's This Week, March 16, 2003: GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: George, you're convinced this war is going to save lives. GEORGE WILL: George, opposition to the war against Iraq rests on and sometimes does not rise above a truism, the fact that war costs lives. Opponents say if we leave Saddam in power but…
A few weeks back, Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen chastised Sen. McCain for his support of the president on Iraq. Cohen noted that he, too, once supported the war, but his reason for doing so vanished once the claim of weapons of mass destruction turned out to be "bogus." The problem is…
From AFP: An Indonesian journalist detained for posting cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in his newspaper earlier this year has been released from prison but will still face trial. Teguh Santosa, 35, was freed from a Jakarta prison Thursday night after being held there for 24 hours by the…
From the senator's office: U.S. Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell made the following statement Thursday regarding U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's comments about Israel's response to terrorist attacks: "Kofi Annan is wrong. He ought to read Resolution 1559 which not only called for the…
Expect the Iranian regime to have lots and lots of questions and concerns for the international community on August 22, 2006 - see here.
Some EU officials are pushing for an immediate cease-fire on the grounds that continued fighting will weaken the democrats inside Lebanon's government. But the more likely outcome from a premature cease-fire would be an emboldened Hezbollah with democrats under siege. And you can bet on Damascus…
Things are apparently better in Dili -- for now at least. While places like East Timor and Kosovo are out of the headlines nowadays, they are still areas where the international community must remain engaged for the long haul.
The FARC must be feeling the heat especially after the landslide reelection of President Uribe. From the EFE News Service: The FARC guerrillas on Wednesday sent a letter to the president of the European Union, Matti Vanhanen, asking the EU to take the group off its list of "terrorist"…
(From Jane's Defense Weekly: Israel's INS Hanit, a Eilat (Sa'ar 5)-class missile corvette, was struck on 14 July by an Iranian-made C-802 Noor (Tondar) radar-guided anti-ship missile, fired by Hizbullah from Beirut. "We were not aware that Hizbullah possessed this kind of missile," said Rear…
After reading yesterday's Washington Post column by George Will decrying the Weekly Standard, a Standard fan dug into the archives and sent along this piece (yes, it's a parody) Will penned in early 1942: FDR and his Critics The Roosevelt administration, justly criticized for its military premises…
From the BBC: Argentines have been marking the anniversary of the 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires that left 85 people dead and about 300 injured…. A prosecutor last year blamed Hezbollah for the blast, which the group denied…. The blast on 18 July 1994 reduced the seven-storey…
If the world flinches and the Iranian regime is allowed to move forward with its nuclear weapons plans, does anyone honestly believe the Israelis won't act at some point to stop or degrade Tehran's ability to produce a bomb - even if it takes weeks to do it? I doubt they want to go down this road…
Evidently, the one person at the G-8 summit who has irked the Kremlin the most isn't even an elected official. From the Telegraph: Cherie Blair goaded the Kremlin yesterday when she volunteered legal assistance to Russian campaigners seeking to challenge a law that imposes strict controls on…
The Democratic Leadership Council's Marshall Wittmann has a few things to say about Israel's right to self-defense and a lot more to say about Israel's critics - see here.
Today's Washington Post has a piece on wealthy donors who fund liberal organizations. An alliance of nearly a hundred of the nation's wealthiest donors is roiling Democratic political circles, directing more than $50 million in the past nine months to liberal think tanks and advocacy groups in what…
Over at The New Republic, the author of Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East offers his thoughts on what to do about Assad's continued provocations.
The G-8 meeting is supposed to send a clear signal to Tehran: stop enriching uranium or else - the else being UN-imposed sanctions. Unfortunately, the one message -- aside from the meeting's muddled response to Iran's proxy war against Israel -- the Iranian regime has apparently taken from the…
From today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch: U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., gave strong support on Saturday to Israel's reaction to the capture of two of its soldiers, despite international criticism that the country's offensive against Islamic militants in Lebanon has been too harsh. At a political…
What's clear is that Israeli intelligence underestimated the range of Hezbollah's rockets. Satellite Israel.gif (Number of the sites in the north of Israel struck by Katyusha rockets so far today - courtesy of the Jerusalem Post) Tiberias, for example, is 35 kilometers from the Lebanese border and…
(With the ambassador back in the news, this is a good time to review some material that much of the media neglects to mention in its coverage of him.) Posted on April 9, 2006: You've got to hand it to Joe Wilson. He has certainly cashed in on his celebrity as he tours college campuses making…
The latest poll is gloomy news for Republicans but there's one interesting number the GOP should pay attention to. One bright spot for the GOP is that Republicans hold an advantage over Democrats on issues such as foreign policy and fighting terrorism _ 43 percent to 33 percent _ and a smaller edge…
The Times in Britain reports that anti-American Member of Parliament George Galloway will join hands with a radical Islamist cleric and accused war criminal: A HARDLINE Islamist cleric who government advisers wanted banned from Britain is scheduled to fly to London this weekend to attend events…
The Washington Post's David Ignatius informs us today that the U.S. and Israel have a "public opinion" problem. We're further told that America needs to be an "honest broker" between Israel, a democracy, and the tyrant states and terrorist groups that surround it. But, as Charles Krauthammer writes…
From AFP: The United States has reason to feel "strategically optimistic" about the future of Iraq, Washington's envoy to Baghdad, Zalmay Khalilzad, said, despite rampant sectarian bloodshed. "Americans should be strategically optimistic about Iraq, even as the continuing difficulties in Iraq will…
This quote from the Russian foreign minister is rich. The Kremlin took a flamethrower to Groznyy and made much of it a wasteland by conducting an air and artillery bombardment with no concern for civilian casualties. Israel's actions are the exact opposite of how the Russians operate. From Reuters:…
Former ambassador to Morocco Marc Ginsberg made three points this morning in a Fox News interview: 1) Hezbollah wouldn't conduct cross-border raids into Israel without the green light from Iran; 2) the failure of the US and other nations to keep heavy pressure on Damascus following the Cedar…
Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa predictably blames Israel for the current fighting, the Associated Press reports, and denies any Syrian role in the Israeli soldiers' abductions. But what is noteworthy is that he chose to deliver his regime's message during a press conference held in Damascus…
Today in Baghdad, where security has not improved post-Zarqawi, Gen. Casey indicated that a change in strategy might be on the horizon. He made his comments during a press conference he and Secretary Rumsfeld held following their meeting. From the AP: Casey said he was consulting with the Iraqi…
This time things would be different. North Korea had badly miscalculated in firing its missiles, as some claimed in the immediate aftermath of the launch. Kim Jong Il's belligerence would be met by a tough, united international response. But has it miscalculated? The one nation with enormous…
From the AP: The Navy will christen its new 684-foot warship the Green Bay on Saturday at a shipyard near New Orleans…. This ship, designed to carry troops for rapid deployment, launch and recovery, will be a major part of the U.S. amphibious fleet and carry 360 Navy sailors along with up to 800…
Surely this bit of news from Reuters will prompt the Russians and Chinese to get serious about Iran's nuclear enrichment program: Iran's chief nuclear negotiator rebuffed Western pressure for an immediate answer to an offer of incentives to suspend uranium enrichment ahead of crucial talks with the…
From AFP: China has repeated its rejection of a proposed UN resolution on possible sanctions against North Korea, dashing US and Japanese hopes for quick action over Pyongyang's missile tests. A foreign ministry announcement that the draft Security Council resolution was an "overreaction" came amid…
Considering the cover of this week's Time magazine, President Bush is in good company on the "cowboy" front. The media and the Democrats used all sorts of "cowboy" combinations to lampoon President Reagan and the conduct of his foreign policy -- from nuclear arms control and S.D.I. to Central…
The Republican governor of Arkansas and possible presidential candidate must be getting his foreign policy talking points from fellow Arkansan Bill Clinton. From the Des Moines Register: Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in Iowa Saturday downplayed the threat North Korea's missile testing last week posed…
This is from the same guy who embraced the phrase "centrist Democrat" when he was running for the North Carolina senate seat. I also don't recall John Edwards scalding reporters for referring to him as a "centrist" when he was running for president in 2004. For that matter, his aides pushed…
((From AP: "Iran has asked the International Atomic Energy Agency to remove the head of the inspection team probing Tehran's nuclear program….The inspector, Chris Charlier, has not been back to Iran since April because of Iranian displeasure with his work….However, Charlier remains the head of…
No help on Iran. No help on North Korea. No help on Darfur and Sudan. Somehow this story from today's Washington Post doesn't surprise me: BEIJING, July 7 -- The Chinese government is preparing to prosecute a blind peasant who exposed excesses by authorities in enforcing the one-child policy in…
Syrian dissident Ammar Abdulhamid offers some insights on the Damascus regime in Beirut's Daily Star. [A]after a period of lying low, the Assads are re-emerging as one of the Middle East's chief backers of radical groups - Islamist or ultra-nationalist. The recent showdown with Israel over the fate…
From yesterday's Jerusalem Post editorial: When President George W. Bush first stated in 2002 that Iran and North Korea were joined in an "axis of evil," there was much snickering, not only at the use of moralistic language, but at the implication that such disparate countries were in any way…
Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore, who did a good job while in office, had a lot to say Wednesday night on Hardball. He's opposed to the president's immigration position, which he has every right to do. But in explaining why, the Virginia Republican totally mischaracterized what's in the…
This piece in the Washington Post is encouraging assuming more Iraqi units act as well in the field. This unit held together, engaged Sadr's Shiite militia and apparently routed them. But what the Post doesn't report and would be interesting to know is whether the unit is comprised mostly of…
From Marine Corps News -- here and here.
When the North Korean dictator says jump (this time in the form of lobbing missiles) many Clintonites ask, "how high?" Bill Richardson, Madeleine Albright, Wendy Sherman, etc. have been all over the media pushing for direct talks with Pyongyang. They believe the U.S. can strike a deal with the…
Iran is taking its sweet time responding to the UN Security Council on its offer of aid in exchange for the regime's suspension of uranium enrichment. Its latest excuse for not getting back with an answer is fear of hit squads. From AFP: Iran postponed key talks in Brussels between its chief…
From Reuters: A French terrorism trial was thrown into turmoil on Wednesday by a report French agents secretly interviewed the six accused during their detention at a U.S. military camp on Cuba's Guantanamo Bay. The Liberation daily published a French diplomatic telegram referring to intelligence…
Call me a skeptic of the comments made by some U.S. government officials and pundits that North Korea badly miscalculated in firing its missiles. The U.N. Security Council isn't likely to do much beyond condemning the "provocation" and pleading with the North to return to the six-party talks. If…
After capturing Kabul in 1996, it wasn't long before the Taliban imposed a harsh brand of Islam. The capitol's soccer stadium became a killing field where pre-game festivities included executions and the chopping off of limbs. Today, in southern Somalia, a new Taliban may be emerging. From the BBC:…
If Sen. Lieberman goes down in his August primary, Republicans should be ready to wrap his loss around the neck of the national Democratic Party. Lieberman is well liked and respected by people outside of the leftwing fever swamps. He polls well among Republicans and most importantly with…
This past February a remarkable and peaceful demonstration took place in Lebanon. Hundreds of thousands of mainly Sunnis marked the first anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Some carried signs, the AP reported, "calling for ‘The Truth'…. Others carried…
On ABC's This Week on Sunday, Sen. McCain criticized the New York Times for publishing the details of the highly classified program that tracks terrorist money flows. I don't think they should have. I think there are laws that were passed that allow programs such as this. I think it's a very…
Egypt imports over two billion dollars in US aid annually but apparently has exported the bulk of the foreign jihadists in Iraq. Syria's the number two exporter and, despite repeated US warnings going back to 2003, remains the "main passageway for suicide bombers in Iraq." From the Gulf Times: The…
If Rudy Giuliani does run for president, here's a target he should pound away on -- the media's role (led by the New York Times) in undermining the War on Terror -- and a line he should repeat over and over again on the stump - America isn't perfect but we do a hell of a lot of good in the world.…
From the International Herald Tribune: BRUSSELS Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt of Belgium has asked the Justice Ministry to investigate whether a banking consortium here broke the law when it aided the U.S. government's anti-terrorism activities by providing it with confidential information about…
Tyler Drumheller, former head of the CIA's European ops, is on a roll. He will soon have a book out on what he witnessed in the run-up to the Iraq War. And judging from the fawning pre-release press it's a very good bet that his book will soon be quoted ad nauseam by Frank Rich, the editors of the…
Today's Wall Street Journal has an insightful editorial on the House Republicans' assault on what is really the president's immigration plan - a plan that Mayor Giuliani believes strengthens our national security. "The Kennedy bill" is how some House members refer to the Senate bill. But I don't…
If you can get your hands on a copy of today's Wall Street Journal, I highly recommend reading former FBI Director Louis Freeh's piece on the Clinton administration's handling of the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing. The Clinton folks, particularly Secretary Albright and VP Gore, don't mention Khobar or…
Beijing's been no help on North Korea, coddles Iran and showers the dictatorship in Khartoum with arms that end up in the hands of the killers in Darfur. No doubt China has been a good place to do business but, so far, there's little evidence that it has changed the character of the regime for the…
David Satterfield, senior advisor to Secretary Rice on Iraq, made news in an interview with the Al-Hayat daily. According to Satterfield, Syria remains a "main passageway for suicide bombers in Iraq" and Iran and its proxy Hizbullah have been behind some roadside bombing attacks in Iraq. Iran is…
Unilateralism, preemption, a hostile world reaction -- the good folks at the American Prospect must be gasping for air after reading this piece from President Clinton's two top defense officials. Merits aside, it sure caught me by surprise and makes me wonder if Secretary Perry has had second…
From the Hartford Courant: A somber Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman stood alone on the Democratic side of the Senate Wednesday and broke with his colleagues on the Iraq war, announcing he would oppose today two Democratic-authored blueprints for pulling American troops out of Iraq. Lieberman, the first…
From the Hartford Courant: A somber Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman stood alone on the Democratic side of the Senate Wednesday and broke with his colleagues on the Iraq war, announcing he would oppose today two Democratic-authored blueprints for pulling American troops out of Iraq. Lieberman, the first…
Sen. McCain argued on the Senate floor today that Democratic troop withdrawal plans would only strengthen the insurgency and allow Zawahiri to achieve his top priority to "expel the Americans" from Iraq. Democratic plans would also repeat the mistakes we made in pre-9/11 Afghanistan, where we…
The U.S government murdered thousands of its own citizens on September 11, 2001. That theory has been circulating among an assortment of America haters, Jew haters, paranoids … and a few professors at U.S. universities. An upcoming cover story in The Chronicle of Higher Education looks at a group…
The Kerry magic lives on. From today's New York Times: In drawing up a schedule for the Wednesday session, the Democratic leadership has arranged for its plan to be debated first, pushing Mr. Kerry and his proposal into the evening, too late for the nightly television news, to starve it of some…
Australia has been a very good friend of the United States. They remain steadfast in Iraq and Afghanistan, work closely with our military in the Pacific region, and have led the coalition trying to bring security and stability to East Timor. The government of Prime Minister John Howard has also…
Howard Dean had a lot to say last night on Hardball. He wants to abandon Iraq's elected government under the guise of "redeployment" and believes the president "created a situation where terrorists now are in Iraq, where they were not before." He does have a point -- sort of. According to Richard…
In some areas of Iraq, too heavy a footprint hasn't been the problem. The lack of one has, but that may be changing in the wake of the president's recent Camp David meeting. From AP: Hundreds of American and Iraqi troops backed by a U.S. gunship pushed into an insurgent-infested section of eastern…
(Robert Kagan weighs in on the Pew poll in today's Washington Post and notes: "No one should lightly dismiss the current hostility toward the United States. International legitimacy matters. It is important in itself, and it affects others' willingness to work with us. But neither should we be…
Secretary Rice to the Southern Baptist Convention last week: And when necessary, we are bringing justice to the terrorists. (Applause.) This is the fate that our troops delivered last week to the terrorist Zarqawi and now he will never harm, he will never murder, he will never terrorize innocent…
Yesterday's revelation of a terrorist plot to release poison gas in a NYC subway brings to mind the 1995 sarin nerve gas attack in Tokyo -- an attack that might have killed tens of thousands if the gas had been more effectively disbursed. In fact, Clinton officials would cite the attack in…
From the Hotline's Blog: June 19, 2006 Gore Won't Back Lieberman...Won't Oppose Him, Either, But... Hat tip: The Note: HUNT: "Sir, We only have about 30 seconds left, let me switch subjects for one final question. You opposed the Iraq war in 2002, your running mate in 2000, Joe Lieberman, had a…
Conservative columnist George Will isn't a fan of the House-passed immigration bill. He believes it's bad policy and bad politics. A few months back, he criticized "faux conservatives" for trying to pin the "amnesty" moniker on the Senate-passed bill. [C]onservatives should favor reducing…
On Wednesday, the New York Times ran a front-page headline, "Global Image Of the U.S. Is Worsening," based on the latest Pew poll of international attitudes toward the U.S. Of the 14 nations polled, only Russia and Pakistan view the U.S. more favorably today than they did in 1999/2000. Among the…
Many of the Democrats who voted against their leadership represent districts that Nancy Pelosi could never win. A few more votes along the lines of today's, combined with a message that a Democratic House means Speaker Pelosi, could pay dividends in some of these districts in November. For the…
The vice president had this to say yesterday on Fox News on Sen. Kerry's latest position on the Iraq War: I guess I'm not surprised at John Kerry switching his position yet again. ... He did in fact support our efforts in Iraq initially. He says he voted for the $87 billion before he voted against…
Last December, some Democrats and some in the media were up in arms about a Pentagon operation that "paid Iraqi newspapers to carry positive news about U.S. efforts in Iraq." The Washington Post added: Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), a member of the Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to the…
(Update: From AP: "Although the office of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said the document was found in al-Zarqawi's hideout following a June 7 airstrike that killed him, U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said the document had in fact been found in a previous raid as part of an…
Stars and Strips has published a special edition entitled "Heroes: A Nation Honors Valor in the War on Terror." The newspaper's Patrick Dickson writes: "This publication captures but a glimpse of the deeds U.S. servicemembers have performed in distant lands. We honor all those who persevere in the…
"Mr. President, as commander-in-chief. how did you feel when you heard the news that American forces had put an end to Zarqawi, the brutal terrorist responsible for the deaths of so many Americans?" Oh, you didn't hear that question from a reporter at today's press conference in the White House…
Gov. Tom Vilsack wants to bring to Iowa the same crowd that regularly pummels the group he heads, the "centrist" Democratic Leadership Council. From the New York Times: "As successful as YearlyKos was this year, in 2007 it should be even bigger and more influential. Tom Vilsack, the former governor…
Democrats are set to roll out their policy agenda because "if we don't define what we stand for," said a Pelosi spokesman, "they'll define it for us." But increasingly Democrats are defining themselves on Iraq. Senator John Kerry yesterday to a gathering of liberals at the "Take Back America"…
The not-so-conservative editors of the Boston Globe must love this piece today by their own Jeff Jacoby: WHEN IRAQ'S Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced last week that a US air strike had killed terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Iraqi reporters burst into cheers and applause. It was a…
"We were absolutely right to remove him from power and we have no excuses to make for it," said Karl Rove yesterday to New Hampshire Republicans. He also suggested that Republicans should quit being punching bags for the Democrats. It's the "cutting and running" crowd, Rove charged, who should…
The Defense Department has released the bios of the three who committed suicide in Gitmo: Ali Abdullah Ahmed, the Yemeni, was a mid- to high-level al Qaeda operative with links to principal al Qaeda facilitators and senior membership, according to information released by DoD. Throughout his time at…
Iran's Ahmadinejad has some fans in Germany: This is the latest chapter in Berlin's difficult relations with Iran which has gained sympathy among Germany's far right. The Government banned a Holocaust denial conference last year featuring the leader of the far-right National Party (NPD) and the…
Yesterday's New York Times reports, in paragraph 18, that the French believed Zarqawi was active in Europe before the U.S. invasion in March 2003, a point often missed in the media's coverage of his death: …French counterterrorism officials said they found Mr. Zarqawi's handiwork in a…
This is how a senior White House official characterized the stakes involved in the Iraq discussions the president is having at Camp David today and tomorrow. Last week, Ambassador Khalilzad acknowledged that the security situation in Baghdad has deteriorated the last few months. And retired General…
Who will be the first Democrat to call for an investigation of this claim?
In the wake of his death, we should remember that the insurgency deepened and Zarqawi thrived primarily because we had deployed too few troops, argues Reuel Marc Gerecht in the current Weekly Standard. He also warns, "we nor the Iraqis are going to find salvation through good intelligence and smart…
The Bush administration may not have a more opportune time to decisively swing the war against the insurgents. Zarqawi is dead, and Iraq's new defense and interior ministers are in place. The Wall Street Journal weighs in that "now's the time to secure Baghdad," and the editors of the National…
From today's New York Times: On Thursday night, Israeli planes attacked a training camp of the Popular Resistance Committees in an old Israeli settlement west of Rafah, killing four people and wounding seven.
This is the top priority of al Qaeda in Iraq. "The first stage," Zawahiri wrote last July in his strategy letter to Zarqawi, is to "expel the Americans from Iraq." He also counseled Zarqawi to be prepared because "things may develop faster than we imagine. The aftermath of the collapse of American…
According to the New York Times, the fact that Zarqawi dropped out of high school and that the U.S. raised the bounty on his head to $25 million are "key events" in his life. But his arrival in Iraq and his stay in Baghdad prior to the March 2003 invasion, with the approval and perhaps assistance…
On the heels of the good news of Zarqawi's death, the AP reports that the USS Cole has left its port in Norfolk, Virginia and is bound for the Persian Gulf region - the first such deployment since al Qaeda terrorists hit it on October 12, 2000. With former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and…
In a Fox News interview today, Sen. McCain said that the elimination of Zarqawi is a "rebuke to those who want to cut and run" from Iraq. The "those" Sen. McCain may be referring to could be Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry (whose withdrawal plan McCain characterized as "a major step on the…
Zarqawi and other al Qaeda terrorists had connections to Iraq before coalition forces invaded in March 2003. As the co-chairman of the September 11 Commission, Governor Thomas Kean, stated, "there was no question in our minds that there was a relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda." Or consider…
The DLC's Marshall Wittmann nails it: Evil has suffered a setback. This is a moment of clarity for civilization. Zarqawi was a moral monster who sought to destroy everything that humane people cherish. And his death is a reminder about the nature of this war. This is a just war. Our troops are not…
Kofi Annan's deputy, Mark Malloch Brown, takes a swing at the "U.S. heartland," and UN Ambassador Bolton fires back. It's too bad. Brown had made an effort to reach out to UN skeptics in the U.S., holding luncheons, etc. and acknowledging that the UN needed major structural reform. His remarks may…
No Democrat has been more effective in leading the charge against the Iraq War than Michigan's Carl Levin. From his perch on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and Armed Services Committee, Levin has exploited every opportunity to turn Americans against the war. And his task has been made…
Democrats swung for the fences in the Calf. 50 race but came up empty. The media would have pumped a Donkey victory for days. That said, I'm not sure how to interpret Bilbray's narrow win. He overcame the Duke Cunningham corruption albatross by emphasizing the need for tough border enforcement. But…
Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq apparently adds Hizbullah to his long list of enemies -- Shiites, Jews, various Sunnis, Americans, the West, etc. -- in his latest radio tirade. Securitywatchtower.com has more here.
On June 6, 1944, Carey Lee Javis of Virginia hit Omaha Beach in the fist wave of the Normandy Invasion. Today, he tells the story of that day in his local newspaper. Mr. Javis is an American hero.
Indiana Senator Evan Bayh has been running around Iowa lately in his quixotic quest for the Democratic presidential nomination. It won't happen, but his consultants will get richer for his efforts. During his travels, Bayh's been getting an earful from anti-war Democrats. He voted for the war and,…
Did the Osirak bombing in 1981 impede or accelerate Saddam's nuclear weapons program? Gerald Steinberg, director of the Program on Conflict Management at Bar-Ilan University, weighs in on this question and the relevance of the Begin Doctrine -- which asserts "the fundamental need to prevent any of…
First, voters in Colombia re-elected their pro-American President, Alvaro Uribe, to a second term. Yesterday, Peruvian voters elected a president who explicitly ran as the anti-Hugo Chavez candidate. Chavez had injected himself into Peruvian politics by calling on voters to reject now…
Today's Edmonton Journal reports "several of the young men allegedly went from being typical Muslim adherents to radicalized extremists in little more than a year." The men frequented two Toronto area mosques and at least one opposed Canada's role in Afghanistan. It's also been reported that…
Hoover fellow Arnold Beichman wrote the following Weekly Standard piece before Canadian officials revealed the recent terrorist plot. Most worrisome, Beichman notes, is how well terrorists may have blended into Canadian culture. Is Canada Next? Time to look at the northern border. THE CANADIAN…
From Reuters: Some members of a group of Canadians arrested on terror-related offenses may have been in contact with two U.S. suspects now in custody who were based in Georgia, the FBI said on Saturday. "There is preliminary indication that some of the Canadian subjects may have had limited contact…
The National Jewish Democratic Council responds to the former president's "deeply disappointing attack on Israel."
Hugo Chavez embraces the Venezuela-born terrorist killer who has a soft spot for Osama bin Laden.
Marshall Wittmann of the Democratic Leadership Council is spot on with his comments on Haditha. The media must also provide a sense of proportion. While the press will readily and properly condemn the improper or criminal actions of a few American soldiers, they too infrequently tell the stories of…
(The Euston group formally launched on May 26 in London. Several members have also written op-eds -- see here -- as part of the roll out. Norman Geras, a government professor at the University of Manchester, has been particularly insightful, including this piece in the Guardian: Within the large…
A staunch U.S. ally, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe cruised to re-election winning by an astounding 40-point margin. A recent cover piece in The Economist reported on "The Battle for Latin America's Soul." Will the region go the way of Venezuela's Chavez and Bolivia's Morales or choose the path…
I doubt it's a coincidence that on the day before the UN Security Council meets to discuss Iran's nuclear enrichment activities Tehran announces plans to build two more nuclear reactors -- and that the Russians will likely be the lead contractor. And at least one powerful Republican, Senate Armed…
Jay Lefkowitz, Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea, argues in a speech to the Asia Society that promoting human rights is very much in the American national security interest. Government conduct at home naturally influences conduct toward other nations. The 20th century shows us numerous…
Let's hope they become good world citizens.
Splitting the Sunnis from Zarqawi has been a high priority for the U.S. in Iraq. But as in Tal Afar and other towns, it's difficult to have enduring success if Sunnis watch those who help us get assassinated and believe that Zarqawi's henchmen control the ground. Today's Washington Post story on…
Iraq veteran Owen West has an excellent piece in today's New York Times. West is vice chairman of Vets for Freedom, "a group of Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans who believe in the mission of freedom in the Global War on Terror, but who have become frustrated with the way the operation has been…
On June 6, 1984, President Reagan delivered a remarkable speech commemorating the 40th anniversary of the D-Day landings. This Memorial Day we remember "the boys of Pointe du Hoc" and all the other American heroes who gave their lives for our freedom. Remarks at the U.S. Ranger Monument Pointe du…
Today's Hotline reports on an internal RNC poll showing strong support for comprehensive immigration reform: RNC senior adviser...Matthew Dowd urges Republican Nat'l Committee members to favor a "comprehensive" solution to immigration, which the public believes is "unifying -- not polarizing."…
John Kerry's running mate has never stopped running for president. He tried to get Kerry to fight on in Ohio even after it was clear there weren't enough uncounted ballots to put Kerry over the top. Kerry was smart enough to realize that delaying the inevitable may have excited the party's base but…
Last time I checked Sens. Larry Craig (R-ID) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) aren't moderate squishes. Craig: Is this bill perfect? No. But it realistically addresses the immigration challenges facing America today by delivering in each of the three critical areas of reform: better border security,…
With an eye toward North Korea, the US Navy has accelerated its missile defense capability in the Pacific region. From the Associated Press: For the first time, a Navy ship at sea successfully shot down a long-range missile in its final seconds of flight, the military said Wednesday. The test was…
Here's an interesting nugget from the latest Economist: For many, perhaps most Americans, the question is not "Should we welcome immigrants?" but "How many?" A moderate influx may be economically helpful and culturally invigorating; a huge one would be disruptive. It is not easy, however, to look…
Wired News has the story of a 25-year-old's contribution to world civilization.
Today's Wall Street Journal editorial weighs in: The most urgent need is for leaders in both Iraq and Washington to do more to improve security in Baghdad. The White House has been right to point out that the media have missed many good news stories in Iraq, but current coverage probably…
Yesterday, during his press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Olmert, the president gave an interesting answer to this question: Q The U.S. has the most powerful military in the world, and they have been unable to bring down the violence in any substantial way in several of the provinces. So…
Signs of life are stirring in the White House. Here's what the vice president had to say in a speech yesterday at a Bilbray for Congress event in San Diego: Issues of national security will clearly be at the top of the agenda in this election year. The President and I welcome the discussion,…
(Just a thought but Republicans may want to remind voters of British intelligence failures leading up to the July 7 bombings and note the return in force of the ACLU Democrats -- see here and here.) Posted on May 22, 2006: The British government has released two reports -- here and here -- on the…
The Pentagon has released its latest report on the status of the Chinese military, the Washington Post reports today. Its findings: China's military buildup is increasingly aimed at projecting power far beyond its shores into the western Pacific to be able to interdict U.S. aircraft carriers and…
Sen. Harry Reid and Company have sent a letter to the president asking for a new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran. "In order to avoid repeating mistakes made in the run-up to the conflict in Iraq," they write, "we must have objective intelligence untainted by political considerations and…
I don't agree with everything in this piece but Richard Cohen is right about a few things: A trial that was supposed to "highlight the many crimes of Saddam Hussein" has instead obscured them and those anti-Iraq War folks calling for action in Darfur face a moral contradiction of their own. On most…
Montenegrins have voted for full independence from Serbia. The last time an independent Montenegro existed delegates were gearing up for Versailles following The Great War. Serbia, which annexed Montenegro in 1919, will also likely watch Kosovo become an independent state in the not-to-distant…
Given the UN Security Council's dithering ways, it's good to see the Bush administration steadily building a parallel structure to deal with threats that doesn't go through the slog of Turtle Bay. Next week, the US will conduct military exercises with Turkey as part of the Proliferation Security…
The British government has released two reports on the July 7, 2005 terrorist bombings in London, which killed 52 and injured over 800. In the current Weekly Standard, Gary Schmitt reviews what the British learned and notes the following: If there is any smoking gun when it comes to the failure of…
From 2003 on, there were many officials pushing for a heavier "footprint" in Iraq. Powell, for example, pressed early on for more combat troops and advisors to, as he put it, crush the insurgency before it could get off the ground. And according to this New York Times piece, Powell and others also…
(And these are the clowns the Democratic Party is taking its marching order from.) I know it will come as a shock that a number of "open-minded progressives" at The New School acted like fools today during Sen. McCain's commencement address. They don't like his views on just about everything --…
(As I mentioned last month, the Iranian economy is highly vulnerable to international sanctions -- particularly those that would hinder its crude production and ability to sell oil on the world market. Today's Washington Post notes: "Experts on Iran point to a number of reasons it might be…
Charles Krauthammer, who can't be accused of being an "amnesty" squish, writes in today's Washington Post that a final bill that includes rigorous border enforcement and a path to citizenship for those already here "would make sense." I am not against legalization. Admittedly, legalization is…
In his speech a few days ago, the president said that no matter what your position is on immigration we should strive to conduct the debate in a "reason and respective tone." Yesterday, the Senate's top Democrat, Harry Reid (NV), did his best to keep the dialogue civil. During debate on an…
Ned Lamont is running against Sen. Joe Lieberman in Connecticut's Democratic primary. He's got a new ad out featuring the creator of the lefty blog Daily Kos, Markos Moulitsas Zuniga. According to the National Journal, [The] second ad begins like an ordinary campaign commercial -- with the…
Here's what Roll Call's Morton Kondracke had to say about Qwest's trumpeting that it refused to cooperate with the National Security Agency: In the beginning, Qwest, this other company, to its discredit, said it was not cooperating with the NSA and specifically decided not to cooperate. Now if we…
Harold Meyerson, editor-at-large for the liberal American Prospect, has some nasty things to say about the centrist Democratic Leadership Council. He writes: A MODEST PROPOSAL. The new issue of Blueprint, the bimonthly journal of the Democratic Leadership Council, which went up online today,…
Euripolix.com reports, European officials are stepping up counter terrorism measures following threats against Denmark, Norway and France. EU member states have strengthened security following the reputed risk of jihadists arriving through Turkey. Le Monde reports that radical Islamists are…
Amr Hamzawy, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote an interesting piece recently in Beirut's Daily Star on the "ideological crisis" facing al Qaeda. He notes that in the Arab world there seems to be an "emerging public consensus that democracy is the only…
Too many conservatives have short memories. When the Clinton White House and the media falsely portrayed GOP efforts to slow the growth of Medicare spending as "cuts," conservatives complained bitterly. House Republicans even put out a 39-page press kit to rebut the "the lies the Democrats and…
It's disappointing (and in some cases very surprising) to see some on the right turn their backs on the vision of Ronald Reagan on immigration, as today's Wall Street Journal editorial argues, and seek to purge the GOP of dissenters. "The GOP is losing this one for the Gipper," the editors note, as…
Today, Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen lectures ("Straight Talk Unexpressed") Sen. McCain on Iraq. He writes: "I supported the decision to go to war in Iraq," McCain said at Liberty University. "I stand that ground because I believed, rightly or wrongly, that my country's interests and…
The president struck the right tone tonight but has a lot work ahead of him to get to a signing ceremony. His call for a "reason and respective tone" obviously didn't make it to the ears of Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) who said after the speech (via Hotline blog) that "a guest worker program is…
Agence France Press notes that in a tight oil market a successful attack on a major oil installation would have major repercussions. Consider this: On February 24, Saudi security forces foiled an attack on oil installations in Abqaiq, which account for 70 percent of the country's output, and 10…
Opponents of President Evo Morales say his energy nationalization plan and cozying up to Hugo Chavez could greatly constrict foreign investment in Bolivia and push current investors to flee. The AP reports, Bolivian opposition leaders warned Evo Morales' tough stance on foreign energy companies…
Is the Washington Times using the same journalistic standards of the liberal media? How many times have conservatives pointed to misleading headlines in the New York Times or taken apart the numerous anti-Bush Associated Press pieces that read more like editorials than hard news pieces? I know I…
Commissioned in 1950, the aircraft on the carrier Oriskany launched attacks on North Korean forces and supply lines, conducted thousands of combat missions against North Vietnamese targets and even played a major in the film "The Bridges of Toko Ri," starring Grace Kelly and William Holden. Now,…
From the Washington Times (via The Frontrunner): "Europe faces a growing threat of ballistic missile attack from rogue states such as Iran and North Korea and needs missile defenses to counter the threats, a NATO report says." The 10,000-page report, commissioned four years ago, sees a "growing"…
General Wesley Clark's presidential aspirations peaked the day he announced his candidacy for the 2004 Democratic nomination. Smart and articulate and armed with the perfect resume for the Commander-in-Chief's job post-9/11, Clark has managed to transform himself from soldier-statesman to just…
The Iraqi News Agency reports: High-Ranking Al Qaeda Leader Detained in Iraq Karbala. High-ranking leader of terrorist organization Al Qaeda was detained today in Iraqi province of Karbala during military operation, Iraqi news agency INA reports. Abdel Fatih Isa, a.k.a. Abu Aisha, was arrested in a…
I have to make a correction related to one of the many postings I have done on the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate. A while back I wrote, As to foreign policy, though, Warner has been virtually content free. For example, on Iraq he won't say how he would have voted on the war…
The editors of the Wall Street Journal and Marshall Wittmann of the Democratic Leadership Council are of one mind on what to make of Ahmadinejad's missive to President Bush. The Journal observes, The letter also contains repeated references to what Mr. Ahmadinejad imagines, with some justification,…
Stars and Stripes reports on the operations of the 1st Battalion, 68th Regiment in Iraq: BAQOUBA, Iraq - Troops with the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment have their own saying for laying the smack down on the enemy: "bringing the Scunion on them," said Staff Sgt. Art Hoffman, 30. The phrase comes…
From Agence France-Presse: The top Iranian nuclear negotiator praised Russia and China on Tuesday as taking a "realistic" approach after talks among major powers failed to resolve differences over the Tehran nuclear program. "We feel that certain countries have been acting in a more realistic…
From Agence France-Presse: The top Iranian nuclear negotiator praised Russia and China on Tuesday as taking a "realistic" approach after talks among major powers failed to resolve differences over the Tehran nuclear program. "We feel that certain countries have been acting in a more realistic…
Castro has given the green light to China and other nations to drill for oil in the Florida Straits. According to the New York Times, In 1977, the United States and Cuba signed a treaty that evenly divided the Florida Straits to preserve each country's economic rights. They included access to vast…
From the Associated Press: GW skipper extends hand to Venezuela ABOARD THE USS GEORGE WASHINGTON - The captain of a U.S. aircraft carrier leading a two-month deployment to the Caribbean said Venezuela, whose leader said the naval exercises were intended as a threat, was welcome to participate in an…
We haven't heard Porter Goss's side of the story but I'm sure we will. I doubt he and his staff are going to let all the stuff being dumped on them -- from Dana Priest in the Washington Post, an anonymous administration source, and the Democrats -- go unanswered. Of course, as this Washington Times…
(Markos Moulitsas, founder of the liberal blog Daily Kos, is an example of why Senator Clinton may not have an easy run to the nomination. His piece in yesterday's Washington Post is also a reason Democrats would have been better off nominating Howard Dean in 2004. The ensuing electoral blowout…
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright distances herself from the foreign policy "realists" in today's Washington Post. She rightly argues, "if all America stands for is stability, no one will follow us for the simple reason that we aren't going anywhere." Her Clinton-era colleague, former UN…
Today's New York Sun reports on a growing protest at the New School, located in New York City, against Sen. McCain's pending commencement address. They don't like his views on just about everything -- Iraq, Iran, the War on Terror, abortion, gay marriage, blah, blah, blah -- and they're angry that…
I doubt you will. From the Associated Press: First Iraqi Graduates Army Ranger School FORT BENNING, Ga. - A former lieutenant in Saddam Hussein's army on Friday will become the first Iraqi to graduate from the Army's Ranger School, a 61-day training ordeal that pushes soldiers to their physical and…
(Today's Wall Street Journal editorial weighs in on the latest peace initiative. The editors doubt it will hold given the track record of the criminal regime that resides in Khartoum. They also have a message for many of those demanding action to stop the brutality. "There's a lesson here for all…
Take the case of Ray McGovern, the retired CIA analyst who made today's headlines by challenging Secretary Rumsfeld during the Q&A following his speech last night in Atlanta. In its coverage of the exchange, the Los Angeles Times, for example, described (reg. req'd) McGovern as "a 27-year CIA…
Marshall Wittmann's takedown of the Left on his blog today reminds me of Jeane Kirkpatrick's famous "San Francisco Democrats" speech in which she took on the "blame America first crowd." In fact, Wittmann's take is so good (especially coming from a senior fellow at the Democratic Leadership…
Today's Hotline reports on the election advice Rush Limbaugh offered yesterday to the GOP: Rush Limbaugh: "There are" GOPers "planning to abandon" Bush "in droves, particularly during this election year." Bush is "an albatross around their neck." GOPers, "I'll just give you some advice right now.…
From Reuters: US says hot on heels of Zarqawi The U.S. military said on Thursday it was close to capturing the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, after discovering documents and the unedited copy of a video he released last week. Zarqawi was throwing all his resources into attacks in…
From the Marine Corps Times: High schoolers suspended after protesting recruiters Marine Corps recruiters in Frederick, Md., are worried that anti-military sentiment may be growing at a local high school following an on-campus protest of Marine recruiters that ended with five students suspended, a…
Valerie Plame Wilson, the NY Times reports, "is shopping a book proposal among a small group of publishers, according to two people familiar with the project." It will be interesting to read the book's acknowledgements.
(The far Left despises Democrats like Rep. Steny Hoyer -- see here and here -- and Sen. Lieberman -- see here. That's why it seems a bit odd that the chairman of the "centrist" Democratic Leadership Council, Gov. Vilsack, and the Senate minority leader, Harry Reid, will be speaking here -- a…
Five months ago, Vance Serchuk, a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote the following in the pages of the Weekly Standard: While American politicians spent the ast months of 2005 arguing over the U.S. military presence in Iraq, their counterparts in the Netherlands were…
Here's what MSNBC's Chris Matthews had to say last night: Somebody is responsible for this war. Is it the president, the politicians in Congress who voted to authorize the war, the military who saluted Bush three years ago when the war was popular who are now calling for Defense Secretary…
Here's what MSNBC's Chris Matthews had to say last night: Somebody is responsible for this war. Is it the president, the politicians in Congress who voted to authorize the war, the military who saluted Bush three years ago when the war was popular who are now calling for Defense Secretary…
"A new atmosphere of increased religious tolerance has spurred a resurgence of Sufism and brought the once-underground Sufis and their rituals out in the open," today's Washington Post reports. Where has this happened? Of all places: Saudi Arabia. Over a year ago, Stephen Schwartz wrote an…
Speaker Hastert and Majority Leader Boehner released the following statement this morning: The Senate emergency spending bill represents a huge spending spree, but the big losers will be the American taxpayers stuck with the tab. President Bush requested $92 billion for the War on Terror and some…
(Connecticut Democrats haven't been reading the Daily Kos blog site. They're supposed to dump Lieberman. A new Quinnipiac poll of Democratic voters finds Lieberman trouncing his primary opponent, Ned Lamont, 65 - 19 percent. The poll also found that "only 15 percent would vote against a candidate…
From today's International Herald Tribune: PARIS Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin of France said Monday that he was determined to stay in office despite mounting pressure on him to resign in connection with a dirty-tricks campaign targeting his chief rival, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy. A…
(From the Toronto Star: "Stephen Harper's government has quietly committed Canada to 'indefinite' participation in NORAD and agreed to give the military alliance new responsibilities to watch for a terror attack by sea. Fresh off his softwood lumber truce, Harper's government yesterday gave another…
Though little reported, U.S. diplomacy with the former East Bloc nations has been quite successful. American investment has poured into a region that Business Week recently profiled in this piece, "Rise Of A Powerhouse." Of course, the region's continued economic vitality may get clipped if some of…
Apparently, Peru isn't interested in being a satellite state of the Caracas regime. From the Associated Press: Peru recalled its ambassador from Venezuela on Saturday over what it called President Hugo Chavez's "persistent and flagrant interference" in its upcoming presidential elections. Chavez…
Unlike John Edwards, who supported the Iraq War when running for president before abandoning his position to cozy-up with the Left, Sen. Joe Lieberman remains a profile in courage. From today's Washington Post: "I'm not surprised that there's a primary challenge," Lieberman conceded. According to a…
It's no secret that Colin Powell clashed with the defense secretary many times while he was running Foggy Bottom. And Powell's recent critical remarks on inadequate troop levels are not a case of Monday morning quarterbacking. He argued for more troops before the invasion, but most importantly,…
The following op-ed by Jay Lefkowitz, the president's special envoy for human rights in North Korea, ran today in the Asian and European editions of the Wall Street Journal: The famous former Soviet dissident, Andrei Sakharov, said it well: "A country that does not respect the rights of its own…
Nearly two years ago I attended a lecture by Samantha Power, author of "A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide" (a book I highly recommend), at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. She spoke on the same day the government of Sudan got a seat on the UN Human Rights Commission. On the…
has evidently been too light in some places. From Stars and Strips: U.S. troops entered Mukhisa and the adjacent town of Abu Kharma on Sunday after hearing that the region is home to foreign fighters, members of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's group and financiers behind roadside bomb and mortar attacks,…
(From today's Boston Globe: "As record oil prices turn attention to the need for renewable fuels, momentum is building in Congress to buck Senator Edward M. Kennedy's bid to block the proposed Cape Cod wind energy project, potentially reviving efforts to construct the sprawling windmill farm in…
Texas shares a lengthy border with Mexico, and, in the last 20 years, the state has absorbed many immigrants. Yet, despite the remarks of Rep. Tom Tancredo and others, I was surprised to learn just how well the Texas economy has performed since President Reagan signed the 1986 immigration bill…
Read the comments of New York Times editor Bill Keller here and then read the latest from Max Boot in the Los Angeles Times here (reg. req'd).
In the past few weeks, a new story line on Iran has gained some currency. It goes something like this. The bluster of the provincial president doesn't truly reflect the mind-set of Iran's senior, grown-up leadership when it comes to acquiring nuclear weapons. If that's the case, someone should let…
Today's Wall Street Journal editorial looks at the "unseemly symbiosis between elements of the press corps and a cabal of partisan bureaucrats at the CIA and elsewhere in the 'intelligence community' who have been trying to undermine the Bush Presidency." The editors also note that there were "many…
Well, they're looking for a new CEO. From TechWeb News: Yoran, CIA's Venture Capital Chief, Resigns The head of the Central Intelligence Agency's venture capital arm, Amit Yoran, has resigned his position after less than four months in the position as chief executive of In-Q-Tel. In a report in the…
Gas prices have skyrocketed and the 36th annual Earth Day just passed. So it's hardly surprising that many Democrats have taken the opportunity to bash the president's environmental and energy policies. Senator Minority Leader Harry Reid has demanded a "bipartisan national energy summit to solve…
Last night, PBS' American Experience chronicled the building of the Alaska Pipeline, which traverses some 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay to the port of Valdez. Planning for the pipeline began in 1968, but a mountain of legal challenges put off construction until 1975. Two years later oil began flowing…
(From today's Wall Street Journal: "Few things are less becoming in a political party than desperation, as Republicans are now demonstrating as they panic over rising oil and gas prices. If blaming private industry for Congress's own energy mistakes is the best the GOP can do, no wonder its voters…
(Agence France Presse has the latest,"Mogadishu tensions soar as Islamists declare jihad on warlords," from Somalia.) Posted on February 20, 2006: Since the early 1990s, al Qaeda has targeted Somalia. Back then, American forces and U.N peacekeepers were the target. Today, as in other regions of the…
Last night, CBS' 60 Minutes aired a segment on Iraq pre-war intelligence -- focusing on the Niger-Uranium controversy -- that was so slanted I half suspect that Democratic Senator Carl Levin produced it. Here are just a few examples: BRADLEY: (Voiceover) When he returned, Wilson told the CIA what…
Mary O. McCarthy has reportedly been fingered for leaking the CIA's secret prisons operation to the Washington Post. She also apparently donated to the Kerry for President campaign and other Democrats as well, which, of course, she is free to do. Today's New York Times also reports that McCarthy…
In the spirit of President Hu's victory lap around the U.S., reader John Manley sends along two interesting links. This one searches for images of Tiananmen on Google.com, while this one does the same search on Google.cn. By the way, no one knows what happened to the man, who Google.cn erases, in…
In the spirit of President Hu's victory lap around the U.S., reader John Manley sends along two interesting links. This one searches for images of Tiananmen on Google.com, while this one does the same search on Google.cn. "China Rocks'!
From Yesterday's New York Times: Alan R. Mulally, president of Boeing's commercial aircraft division, introduced Mr. Hu to a group of 5,000 Boeing workers in an event that had the aura of a pep rally. After Mr. Hu made a glowing tribute to Boeing's tradition of innovation, Mr. Mulally said simply,…
From Monday's The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer: LEHRER: In Washington, a White House spokesman condemned the attack and said it was the Palestinian Authority's responsibility to stop such attacks. .... In Iraq today,.... Witnesses for Zacarias Moussaoui gave details of his instability today.... Jurors…
Yesterday, in an interview with Chicago-area newspapers, Secretary of State Rice made a point that Richard Clarke didn't find time to address in his recent New York Times op-ed. QUESTION: And because you also know that any armed intervention would inflame things throughout the Muslim world?…
From the Associated Press: Moderate leftist prepares to challenge Hugo Chávez CARACAS - Venezuelan opposition leader and newspaper editor Teodoro Petkoff will launch his presidential bid this week to run against President Hugo Chávez, a campaign organizer said Wednesday. Petkoff will make the…
The counterattack by Secretary Rumsfeld and his staff against his critics has been impressive. The Secretary defended himself at length during a recent press conference. Senior active and retired officers defended him on television and in print. His office sent out fact sheets and called…
Since Jonathan Chait and others have turned their focus to Sen. McCain the last few days I'd like to add one point -- for now at least -- going back to 2001. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I was his legislative director back then.) Yes, McCain voted against the 2001 tax cut. But his collective…
The new and improved UN Human Rights Council will likely include Fidel Castro, that great defender of human rights, as one of its members. From the Miami Herald: The new Human Rights Council replaced the previous Commission on Human Rights, where countries accused of rights abuses such as Cuba,…
Max Boot has an interesting take on the Rumsfeld v. Generals flare up in today's Los Angeles Times (reg. req'd): The retired generals, who claim to speak for their active-duty brethren, premise their uprising on two complaints. First, many (though not all) say we should not have gone into Iraq in…
Why? She explained last night on CNN's Larry King: "I don't want to give the right wing media and the right wing warmongers an ability to distract from the basic issue, which is that most Americans are opposed to the war and want to bring the troops home." With any luck, Moveon.org will put Fonda…
Get ready for another round of "Impeach Bush" talk. The deeply partisan Carl Bernstein has a new piece up on the Vanity Fair web site. Guess what? He's not a fan of the Bush Administration and like many others on the Left is doing his best to criminalize policy disputes. The ranking member on the…
As you've probably guessed, it isn't Sen. Christopher Dodd -- see here.
Gas prices are way up and it's not just because of soaring oil prices on the world market that are beyond our control. Under the GOP's watch and pushed farm state legislators, Congress mandated more ethanol use in our gasoline. The net result, as Irwin Stelzer explains, is tighter gas supplies and…
Britain's Daily Telegraph writes on the terrorist (or "militant" if you work at the BBC) suicide bombing in Tel Aviv: Ultimately, however, the weasel words of Hamas remind us of how right America and the EU were to cut off funding to the Authority. Hamas apologises for terrorism because, ceasefire…
Though it hasn't garnered much media attention, there has been an interesting fight brewing within the political Left. Britain's Oliver Kamm got the ball rolling by writing a provocative piece in Progess, a journal published by British Labour Party members, arguing that the Left has abandoned its…
This is the first time I've read such a categorical statement from a senior U.S. commander. From the Washington Times: Al Qaeda in Iraq and its presumed leader, Abu Musab Zarqawi, have conceded strategic defeat and are on their way out of the country, a top U.S. military official contended…
(This NYT piece, "New Worry Rises After Iran Claims Nuclear Steps," is not good news if true. "The assertion involves Iran's claim that even while it begins to enrich small amounts of uranium, it is pursuing a far more sophisticated way of making atomic fuel that American officials and inspectors…
In today's New York Times, Richard Clarke and his Clinton-era NSC colleague Steven Simon write 856 words on why the U.S. should not use force, if necessary, against Iran's nuclear program. Though they raise very legitimate issues that should be virgorously debated, nowhere in the piece do they take…
From Reuters: A German court sentenced a man of Turkish origin to more than nine years in prison on Thursday for the so-called "honor killing" of his sister but found two other brothers not guilty of conspiring in the murder. The murder of 23-year-old Hatun Surucu, who was shot while standing at a…
From the (London) Telegraph: 'Islamic terrorism' is too emotive a phrase, says EU European governments should shun the phrase "Islamic terrorism" in favour of "terrorists who abusively invoke Islam", say guidelines from EU officials. Backed by diplomats and civil servants from the 25 EU members,…
The fact that the Democratic Party's base is firmly against the Iraq war has put its leading presidential candidate in a tough spot on Iran. Will Senator Clinton continue to embrace a hawkish position on Iran or adopt a softer line? She voted for the Iraq war but, unlike Kerry and Edwards, hasn't…
(The New York Times follows up their recent Iran editorial with a front-page piece today quoting nuclear analysts who say "nothing had changed to alter current estimates of when Iran might be able to make a single nuclear weapon, assuming that is its ultimate goal. The United States government has…
Wade Zirkle, executive director of Vets for Freedom and Iraq combat vet, writes in today's Washington Post: Earlier this year there was a town hall meeting on the Iraq war, sponsored by Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), with the participation of such antiwar organizations as CodePink and MoveOn.org. The…
The regime may be more vulnerable to comprehensive sanctions than many realize. Despite high oil prices, the mullahs are running an economy with little job growth and high unemployment. Radio Free Europe reports that Iran's president has been traveling around the country reassuring people on the…
Agence France Presse reports that, Saudi Arabia will exert all efforts to fight terrorism and its financiers, the kingdom's crown prince said, calling it a "disease" that threatens the whole world. Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, who is also deputy prime minister and defence minister, said…
Some Republicans continue to whine that Democrats didn't allow them to take out the felony provision contained in the House-passed immigration bill. But why would Democrats help Republicans out? They want to retake the House and believe the felony language helps them in swing districts. House…
Will the New York Times run a front-page correction for what they reported in this piece based on information that federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald now says is incorrect? National Review's Byron York points out that earlier today Fitzgerald sent the following to the judge in the Libby case: We…
(A reader emails on my April 9 "Joe Wilson's Forgetfulness" post: This is largely forgotten now but Joe Wilson initially misled the public on a key question when the story first broke in the summer 2003: Did the former Niger prime minister, Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, meet with any Iraqi officials in…
(From Reuters: "France's students and trade unions prepared a victory parade [today] to mark the demise of a hated youth jobs law, with politicians and analysts split over whether the hope of labour market reform was dead too.... 'Alas, the hope for reform has been buried with them,' [the business…
The editors at the paper have weighed in on what to do about Iran's quest for nuclear weapons -- in two words, not much. Their argument boils down to this: Tehran is a decade away from a bomb, so all the "saber rattling" is unnecessary and counterproductive. We should encourage Iran's political…
Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian takes a shot at Google and Yahoo for kowtowing to Beijing. From ComputerWorld: Taiwan President pans Google, Yahoo on free speech Strong criticisms on anniversary of activist's death In a speech commemorating a local human rights activist, Taiwan President Chen…
From the Associated Press: WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration may severely restrict the movements of Venezuela's ambassador if pro-government activists in Venezuela engage in any more ''thuggish'' activities against U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield, a spokesman said Monday. Meanwhile,…
Schwarzenegger talks sense on immigration in today's Wall Street Journal: President Reagan memorably described his "shining city on a hill" as a place that "hummed with commerce and creativity, and if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will…
With the Iraq nuclear issue back in the news, here's some background information that didn't make it into yesterday's New York Times piece that readers may have found of interest. Kenneth Pollack, former National Security Council official in the Clinton administration, commented in the…
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, co-founded by former Grateful Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow, makes a contribution to U.S. National Security -- specifically the NSA's al Qaeda spying operation.
You've got to hand it to Joe Wilson. He has certainly cashed in on his celebrity as he tours college campuses making ludicrous statements. Wilson is also someone who is curiously forgetful about facts that involve his behavior and those surrounding his trip to Niger. ''It seems to me that first and…
The enemy. From Reuters: MILAN - An Egyptian accused of helping plan the Madrid train bombings in 2004 indoctrinated young people in Spain and advocated martyrdom, an Italian investigator told a court on Friday.... Standing trial with Ahmed was his suspected protege, an Arab man named as Yahia.…
From the Globe and Mail: Senior federal cabinet ministers will be handed a "snapshot" today of how terrorists have dramatically increased their Internet presence during the past year to create a "virtual university of terrorism." The [Simon Wiesenthal Center] report documents how terrorists are…
on this report from the Associated Press: Britain Nixes Argentina's Falklands Claim UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Britain reiterated its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and rejected Argentina's claims in a letter to Secretary-General Kofi Annan circulated Wednesday. The letter from Britain's U.N.…
See here and here.
Ireland, Hungary and Slovakia are doing something wrong. They enjoy healthy economic growth rates, attract new businesses, and --- gasp -- have low corporate tax rates. Today's Wall Street Journal reports that several European Union nations are "moving ahead with the long-taboo subject of creating…
Opponents of President Bush's immigration position like to claim the high ground on national security. They rightly claim that we must secure our border, especially in a post 9/11 world. But at the same time many also contend that a guest-worker program would weaken U.S. security. Well, Mayor…
It's not hard to find comparisons between President Bush and Hitler on anti-war web sites or on signs carried in anti-war marches. But this may be the first time I've read a comparison of Bush's thinking to Tojo's from a well-known politician. In reviewing an upcoming book by Sen. Ted Kennedy on…
The news from Sen. Kerry's op-ed today in the New York Times isn't his call to cut and run from Iraq. He's held that position for a while. The big question is whether Sen. Clinton will abandoned her position against setting troop withdrawal timetables. Anti-war Democrats have been pressuring her to…
(Interesting twist in the immigration debate among evangelicals reported in today's Washington Post.) Social conservatives couldn't have a better friend on Capitol Hill than the Senator from Kansas. On the cultural divide, he stands as far away from Sen. Kennedy as Pluto is from Mars. Yet,…
(Florida Gov. Jeb Bush weighs in on the immigration debate.) Posted on March 31, 2006: Jerry Kilgore lost his bid to succeed the prospective 2008 Democratic presidential candidate Mark Warner. Though as Election Day drew near, the Kilgore camp believed they had an issue that would put them over the…
That's how the Democratic Leadership Council's Marshall Wittmann characterized the Left's campaign to take down the Connecticut Senator in the August primary. Unlike Senators Kerry and Edwards, who long ago rolled over for the anti-war folks, Lieberman has stood his ground on the Iraq War. A while…
From the Telegraph: Iran has set up a sophisticated intelligence gathering operation in southern Lebanon to identify targets in northern Israel in the event of a military confrontation over its controversial nuclear programme. Senior Israeli military commanders say Iran has spent tens of millions…
The BBC reports that Iraqi prosecutors will formerly charge Saddam Hussein with "genocide over a 1980s campaign against the Kurds." Saddam's forces killed about 180,000 in the "Anfal" campaign, which made worldwide headlines after the poison gas attack on Halabja. The BBC also reports that…
(According to the Associated Press, Hans Blix says don't sweat it. Iran is at least five years from getting a nuke.) Posted on March 25, 2006: From today's Los Angeles Times: Iran's Nuclear Steps Quicken, Diplomats Say VIENNA - With efforts to halt its nuclear program at an impasse, Iran is moving…
The vast ZOG conspiracy grows. You may want to incorporate this into your truly original study, "The Israel Lobby and American Foreign Policy."
Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former case officer in the CIA's clandestine service and current resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, offers his assessment on Iraq and US political/military strategy in today's Wall Street Journal: Americans aside, the attack in Samarra didn't blow apart the…
Here's an interesting New York Times piece on how China's growing labor shortage will impact the world economy and swell the ranks of China's middle class: Persistent labor shortages at hundreds of Chinese factories have led experts to conclude that the economy is undergoing a profound change that…
(From Reuters: "TEHRAN -Iran said it would test fire a powerful torpedo on Monday and more missiles on Tuesday as part of a week of wargames in the Gulf, a senior naval officer told state television.") If this piece is an accurate assessment of Iran's terror response should we hit its nuclear…
Today, in a joint press conference with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, Secretary of State Rice was asked about how many "mistakes" she believed the U.S. has made in Iraq. In answering, Rice admitted mistakes were made but also stressed an extremely important point that Republicans on Capitol…
From the Associated Press: Chertoff: U.S. would have been safer with Dubai company at ports NEW YORK (AP) - The U.S. missed an opportunity to make its shores safer when it drove away a Dubai-based company poised to operate cargo terminals at several American seaports, Department of Homeland…
Jerry Kilgore lost his bid to succeed the prospective 2008 Democratic presidential candidate Mark Warner. Though as Election Day drew near, the Kilgore camp believed they had an issue that would put them over the top -- illegal immigration. It didn't work and may be a harbinger of things to come…
From AFP: US to test 700-tonne explosive The US military plans to detonate a 700 tonne explosive charge in a test called "Divine Strake" that will send a mushroom cloud over Las Vegas, a senior defense official said. "I don't want to sound glib here but it is the first time in Nevada that you'll…
Go ahead and make the house-passed immigration bill law, writes George Will in today's Washington Post: And conservatives should favor reducing illegality by putting illegal immigrants on a path out of society's crevices and into citizenship by paying fines and back taxes and learning English. Faux…
Social conservatives couldn't have a better friend on Capitol Hill than the Senator from Kansas. On the cultural divide, he stands as far away from Sen. Kennedy as Pluto is from Mars. Yet, Brownback was instrumental in getting the immigration bill out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Upon…
Here are two pieces worth reading on the Mearsheimer-Walt paper on the "Israel Lobby" in the U.S. From Max Boot in the LA Times (reg. req'd): IN HIS CLASSIC 1964 essay, "The Paranoid Style in American Politics," the late Richard Hofstadter noted: "One of the impressive things about paranoid…
The following is President Reagan's letter accepting the resignation of Caspar Weinberger as Secretary of Defense and thanking him for his great service to our nation: THE WHITE HOUSE November 5, 1987 Dear Cap: It is with the deepest regret that I accept your resignation as Secretary of Defense,…
From Wired.com: Dozens of Iranian bloggers have faced harassment by the government, been arrested for voicing opposing views, and fled the country in fear of prosecution over the past two years. In the conservative Islamic Republic, where the government has vast control over newspapers and the…
(See here and here.) Posted on March 21, 2006: It would be interesting to know whether the NSA program helped snag Babar and his buddies across the Atlantic. From the BBC: Seven British citizens had acquired "most of the necessary components" to launch a bombing campaign in the UK, the Old Bailey…
From Asharq Al-Awsat: Beirut- Informed sources have revealed told Asharq al-Awsat that the international commission investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri received the transcript of a phone call conversation between a Lebanese official and his Syrian…
I usually agree with the editors of the New York Post, but not this paragraph from today's editorial Forced repatriation, also under consideration, is a drastic - and politically explosive - option. But it needs to be part of the debate, if only to underscore the gravity of the current debate. Do…
There is an effort afoot to discredit any material that may undermine the narrative that "Bush lied us into war" and that Saddam's connection to al Qaeda was tenuous at best. Consider this quote from an AP wire story today: [John] Prados, an analyst with the National Security Archive, a…
This issue is not a subject of debate on Capitol Hill by either side in the immigration divide, but it should be. Nearly three years ago, John Fonte, the director of the Hudson Institute's Center for American Common Culture, wrote an interesting article on the "need for a patriotic assimilation…
Blair, in a speech to the Australian parliament: "But the strain of frankly anti-American feeling in parts of European politics is madness when set against the long-term interests of the world we believe in," he said.... "The danger with America today is not that they are too much involved. The…
These two editorials are worth a read. The Brookings Institution's Michael O'Hanlon, a centrist Democrat, argues in today's Washington Post that the best way to prevent a large-scale civil war is to not repeat what happened in Baghdad in April 2003. Back then, unchecked small-scale looting…
Ignore this advice, "When we conduct this debate it must be done in a civil way," Mr. Bush said after meeting with groups that support legalizing illegal aliens. "It must be done in a way that doesn't pit one group of people against another." and adopt rhetoric like this, Illegal immigrants are "a…
From today's Los Angeles Times: Iran's Nuclear Steps Quicken, Diplomats Say VIENNA - With efforts to halt its nuclear program at an impasse, Iran is moving faster than expected and is just days from making the first steps toward enriching uranium, said diplomats who have been briefed on the…
(Though Somalia gets little media attention these days, it remains a battleground for radical Islamists. From Reuters: MOGADISHU - Heavy fighting between rival Somali militia linked to Islamic courts and a new "anti-terror" alliance has killed about 90 people in the last three days in the capital,…
(From AP: "Russia had a military intelligence unit operating in Iraq up through the 2003 U.S. invasion and fall of Baghdad, a Russian analyst said Friday. A Pentagon report said Russia provided Saddam Hussein with intelligence on U.S. military movements and plans. The unclassified report does not…
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright offers some foreign policy advice, "Good versus evil isn't a strategy," for the White House in today's Los Angeles Times. It's very nice of her. The sophisticated Clintonites weaved a world of stability and hope. They were problem solvers, not ideologues, you…
From today's New York Sun: CAIRO, Egypt - A former Democratic senator and 9/11 commissioner says a recently declassified Iraqi account of a 1995 meeting between Osama bin Laden and a senior Iraqi envoy presents a "significant set of facts," and shows a more detailed collaboration between Iraq and…
From today's New York Sun: CAIRO, Egypt - A former Democratic senator and 9/11 commissioner says a recently declassified Iraqi account of a 1995 meeting between Osama bin Laden and a senior Iraqi envoy presents a "significant set of facts," and shows a more detailed collaboration between Iraq and…
The other day the Powerline guys noted that NBC News managed to bury a legitimate scoop "beneath a grotesquely misleading headline." They wrote: March 22, 2006 It Helps to Read Past the Headline... ...of this report by NBC on the CIA's secret source within Saddam's inner circle: Foreign Minister…
A former ABC news employee I've known for many years, who worked in the same New York City headquarters as John Green, called to tell me that he's not surprised by Green's September 30, 2004 email. Bush had used the "mixed messages" line several times in attacking the Kerry's position on Iraq…
New York Times columnist Bob Herbert writes today on a "study by Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize-winning economist at Columbia University, and a colleague, Linda Bilmes ... at Harvard, that estimates the 'true costs' of the war at more than $1 trillion, and possibly even $2 trillion." Just so you…
Kosovar Albanians don't think much of the UN but they sure like the U.S. and NATO. This was abundantly clear when I was over there last August. They resented the fact that the UN Security Council sat on its hands while Milosevic's forces rampaged throughout the province. They were also well aware…
Additional material (text, audio and video) has just been released by the US Army Foreign Military Studies Office. If you can translate any of it, please send it along. Here's a sample of the material with its accompanying synopsis: IISP-2003-00038100 Synopsis: Intelligence coded memo by two IIS…
(Editor & Publisher has more on the Loven controversy here.) Posted on March 18, 2006 06:13 PM: The Associated Press or a DNC Press Release? This piece by Jennifer Loven of the Associated Press is a classic. The DNC couldn't have done a better job. Of course, Loven may want to do her own fact…
What America looks like in the eyes of a frequent Daily Kos blogger. Wonder if Senator Harry Reid, who will be attending the YearlyKos convention, and Sen. Kerry, an occasional Kos blogger, agree?
It would be interesting to know whether the NSA program helped snag Babar and his buddies across the Atlantic. From the BBC: Seven British citizens had acquired "most of the necessary components" to launch a bombing campaign in the UK, the Old Bailey has heard. Prosecutor David Waters QC said…
Lee Smith's hilarious and devastating response to Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer's "The Israel Lobby" is a must read.
Yesterday, the president rightly praised the work of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Tal Afar. Commanded by Col. H.R. McMaster, the 3rd Cav regained control of a city that had been taken over again by al Qaeda. The president stated: [B]y September 2004, the terrorists and insurgents had…
From today's Los Angeles Times: Some U.S. Officials Fear Iran Is Helping Al Qaeda WASHINGTON - U.S. intelligence officials, already focused on Iran's potential for building nuclear weapons, are struggling to solve a more immediate mystery: the murky relationship between the new Tehran leadership…
The History Channel notes that today is the anniversary of the March 20, 1995 sarin nerve gas attack in Tokyo -- an attack that might have killed tens of thousands if the gas had been more effectively disbursed. At the height of the morning rush hour in Tokyo, Japan, five two-man terrorist teams…
The Beltway Blitz explains it all here.
I wonder what his position is on the cartoons. From the Associated Press: COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- A radical Islamic group spokesman has been charged with threatening the government for distributing a leaflet urging Muslims to ''eliminate'' rulers that prevent them from joining the Iraq insurgency, a…
James T. Quinlivan, a military analyst at RAND, evaluated the effectiveness of recent stability deployments where the "objective is not to destroy an enemy but to provide security for residents so that they have enough confidence to manage their daily affairs and to support a government authority…
Vice President Cheney pulled no punches today on Face the Nation: Q Let me read to you what Senator Kennedy, liberal Democrat from Massachusetts, and a long-time opponent of the war said on the third anniversary. Here's part of his statement. He said: "It is clearer than ever that Iraq was a war we…
This piece by Jennifer Loven of the Associated Press is a classic. The DNC couldn't have done a better job. Of course, Loven may want to do her own fact checking before trying to zing the president. For example, she writes: Last fall, the rhetorical tool became popular with Bush when the debate…
This piece by John Lloyd in the New Statesman is worth a read. The repeated invasions of contiguous states; the massacres of Kurds and southern Shia; the license given to torturers, rapists and murderers wearing the uniforms of secret police; the complete arbitrariness of Saddam's kleptocratic…
Leadership matters. Tuesday's Globe and Mail has some interesting poll results on the Canadian troop deployment to Afghanistan. Canadians' views have shifted sharply in support of the Afghan military mission even as troop casualties have mounted over the past three weeks, a new poll suggests. A…
If you believe France's current economy is sclerotic, imagine what it will be years from now if millions of French youth possess the same attitude and driving ambition of Maud Pottier. From today's Washington Post: PARIS, March 16 -- An estimated 250,000 students took to the streets of Paris and…
(This document would certainly be consistent with the type of operations described below.) From March 14, 2006 post: The latest issue of Foreign Affairs contains excerpts from a recently declassified report, produced by the U.S. Joint Forces Command, on the inner workings of Saddam's regime. This…
(Update II: The ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee applauds Sen. Feingold's censure efforts. Sens. Boxer and Harkin have also jumped on the censure bandwagon. And the good news continues. According to the Hotline, "Senate Republicans will force a floor vote on Sen. Feingold's censure…
The sarin gas attack that killed 12 and injured thousands in a Tokyo subway in 1995 is back in the news. "The Tokyo High Court has upheld the death sentence against Tomomitsu Niimi," reports Singapore's TODAY, "a key member of the Aum doomsday cult who was convicted of attacks including the deadly…
From today's New York Observer: "Let's say skinheads had bought a company to take over our port," [Sen. Chuck Schumer] said. "I think the outcry would have been the same." What exactly is Schumer saying here?
From a Fortune magazine piece on Beijing's activities in Africa: ...African governments view China as a more cooperative partner than the West. China has refused to back regular Western rebukes of African corruption and human-rights abuses and last year used its permanent seat on the UN Security…
Here's a brief translation of this New York Times piece, In Iran, Dissenting Voices Rise on Its Leaders' Nuclear Strategy: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad needs to shut-up so we can move forward on our nuke program without getting overly hassled by the EU, the US and the UN.
Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee want more scrutiny of the Bush administration. No surprise here. Sen. Jay Rockefeller is just following the script outlined in a Democratic staffer's 2003 memo on how to use the Intelligence Committee to attack the White House. Perhaps this Democratic…
Milosevic's trial for war crimes committed in the 1990s began in 2002 at The Hague. Yet, Khmer Rouge leaders are still awaiting trial on charges of genocide for the deaths of nearly 2 million Cambodians from 1975-78 under the regime of Pol Pot. Many Cambodians are worried that these aging leaders…
The latest issue of Foreign Affairs contains excerpts from a recently declassified report, produced by the U.S. Joint Forces Command, on the inner workings of Saddam's regime. This paragraph, in particular, hasn't received much attention in the media: The Saddam Fedayeen also took part in the…
If you didn't catch it last night, 60 Minutes profiled the operations of the 3rd Armored Cavalry, commanded by Col. H.R. McMaster, in Tal Afar -- a city that had literally been taken over again by al Qaeda before the 3rd moved in. The transcript may be found here. McMaster points out that it's…
(Update II: Uribe supporters won big in yesterday's congressional elections, paving the way for passage of the U.S-Colombia free trade deal. With strong support in Congress and probable reelection in May, Uribe's offensive against the FARC will likely intensify. All of this is pretty remarkable…
(Update: Feingold flops. Apparently, the Democratic leadership would like to gain seats in November. Republicans shouldn't let them off the hook so easily. From the Associated Press: "Democrats distanced themselves Monday from Wisconsin Sen. Russell Feingold's effort to censure President Bush over…
Politicians like New York Democratic Congressman Charles Rangel have claimed that the military relies disproportionately on the poor to fill its ranks. Since the Iraq invasion, in particular, it has become a standard anti-war talking point. The problem is it isn't true. From today's New York Times:…
On trial at The Hague since 2002 for war crimes, former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic was "found dead in his prison cell" Saturday morning. His legacy is one of death, destruction and deep ethnic hatred. Last August, I traveled throughout Kosovo and found a place still very much haunted by the…
Here's an interesting piece from today's New York Times on a Syrian-American doctor's efforts to counter radical Islam: Dr. Sultan said the world was not witnessing a clash of religions or cultures, but a battle between modernity and barbarism, a battle that the forces of violent, reactionary Islam…
From Reuters: An official apology "is absolutely necessary ... because your government has not dealt with them (Muslims) respectfully," Islamic scholar Tareq al-Suweidan told a conference hosted by the [Danish] government in an attempt to ease tension over the drawings. "We want the laws in Denmark…
Some may buy Sen. Hillary Clinton's line that she opposed the deal because it would have endangered "our nation's security." Perhaps a few more may buy into Speaker Hastert's line that his opposition was based on concern for the "safety of our children." Others may believe that it's all about…
Reader Kevin French emails: Dubai Ports World is returning the six US Ports to American control and this heads off a political showdown between the White House and the folks up on Capitol Hill but who will be next? I notice the NYSE company has just been listed on the New York Stock Exchange. I…
Yesterday, on The Charlie Rose Show, John Kerry's running mate was tough as nails on denying Tehran a nuclear weapon. CHARLIE ROSE: What did you make of what the vice president said, that the United States will not allow Iran to have nuclear weapons? CHARLIE ROSE: Do you agree with it? JOHN…
A word of warning from the archipelago: A fierce debate over sweeping anti-pornography and morality laws that are backed by Islamic parties in the parliament have infuriated the vast majority of moderate Indonesian Muslims.... "People are angry, they are up to the neck, but they are afraid of them…
From CNET News: Yahoo and the other top U.S.-based search engines have come under fire for their practice of cooperating with the Chinese government in censoring information online. Yahoo has been accused of providing evidence to Chinese authorities that led to the imprisonment of two Chinese…
This cover piece, Freedom Fighter, in the latest issue of Progress, a journal published by British Labour Party members, is sure to get the attention of the anti-Bush folks on the island. Oliver Kamm, author of Anti-Totalitarianism: the Left-wing Case for a Neo-Conservative Foreign Policy, argues…
(From Reuters: But after a government-led media campaign against U.N. intervention, nationalist sentiment in Sudan is running high. The pro-government al-Intibaha newspaper has announced the formation of two new Islamist movements threatening to target foreign interests in Darfur, called the Darfur…
While most Americans haven't been following Democratic primary politics in the 28th congressional district of Texas, the Left has been immersed in it. A freshman conservative Democrat (yes, there are a few of them around), Rep. Henry Cuellar, faced a primary challenge from an anti-war liberal, Ciro…
The March/April 2006 Columbia Journalism Review has a revealing profile of Walter Pincus, the Washington Post's leading national security correspondent. There's no link to the piece ("The Optimist" by David Glenn), so these excerpts will have to do: On the Role of the News Media Pincus himself…
VP Cheney's remark may be the most categorical yet from a senior Bush administration official on stopping an Iranian nuke. From the AP: March 7, 2006 Cheney Says U.S. Won't Let Iran Get Nukes DATELINE: WASHINGTON BODY: Vice President Dick Cheney said Tuesday that Iran will not be allowed to have a…
Rep. Edward Markey, the Democratic congressman from Massachusetts, isn't happy with the nuclear deal President Bush agreed to with the government of India. The deal "has blown a hole in the nuclear rules that the entire world has been playing by, " said Markey, and "empowers the hawks in every…
When it comes to Iraq's national army, infiltration and loyalty may be a bigger concern than the total number of troops trained and deployed -- which is why this is not particularly good news if accurate.
(The AP reports that "the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said he was hopeful Monday about reaching an international agreement to defuse concerns about Iran's nuclear activities and make U.N. Security Council action unnecessary.") Iran's talks with Moscow and now Beijing appear to be…
"Ending a decade-long battle in favor of the Defense Department," the New York Times reports, "the court [8 to 0] rejected the argument of law school faculty members that being forced to associate with military recruiters violated their First Amendment rights to free speech and association. At…
According to the Telegraph, Iran's Revolutionary Guards have taken the extraordinary step of cutting down thousands of trees in Teheran to prevent United Nations inspectors from finding traces of enriched uranium from a top-secret nuclear plant.... According to western intelligence sources, more…
"Faced with attacks against their sheikhs and clan members, a number of Sunni tribes from Hawijah -- a rebel bastion in northern Iraq -- have declared war on Al-Qaeda's frontman in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi," reports Agence France Presse.
(The editors of the Washington Post make their Case for Democracy. They write: Yes, we might welcome the benign dictator who would nurture the "rule of law" until his nation was "ready" for democracy -- and then would give way gracefully to his matured people. But for the same reason that we wish…
Today's Washington Post reports on a bipartisan report released by The Council on Foreign Relations on U.S.-Russia relations. The report makes some good points. The Bush administration should stop pretending Russia is a genuine strategic partner and adopt a new policy of "selective cooperation" and…
The tip of the anti-Semetic iceberg? From today's New York Times: Two strips of red-and-white police tape bar the entrance to the low-ceilinged pump room where a young Jewish man, Ilan Halimi, spent the last weeks of his life, tormented and tortured by his captors and eventually splashed with acid…
(The corrupt strike back. From yesterday's Christian Science Monitor: Masked, armed police Thursday stormed the offices of a leading Kenyan media company in a raid seen as punishment for reports criticizing the government's dismal record on corruption. Dozens of officers carrying AK-47 assault…
Former Deputy Secretary of State Armitage has some tough words for the new boss of Foggy Bottom. Of course, I bet Secretary Rice has racked up more international travel miles than her predecessor at this point in his term. But Armitage does have a point. Australia has been a great ally in Iraq and…
(The latest from Peters.) New York Post columnist Ralph Peters continues his daily observations from Iraq. His columns have been totally at odds with some other stuff I have read -- notably William Buckley's piece. Today, he notes: After the terrorists blew up that shrine in Samarra last week, you…
The atrocities in Darfur continue. But thanks to Moscow and Beijing the government in Khartoum doesn't have to worry about UN-imposed sanctions. From ABC News: The U.N. Security Council remained divided Monday on imposing punitive measures over the conflict in Darfur despite calls for sanctions…
From Marshall Wittmann's Bull Moose blog: Some opponents of the war are smugly chortling that "we told you so." Perhaps. But, these opponents do not necessarily occupy the strategic nor moral high ground. Do they really think that any post-9/11 President would allow Saddam to continue to taunt the…
(Update II: Matthew Yglesias has responded to my updated post. I disagree with his assessment for many reasons but nonetheless thought it only fair to post his response here (scroll down to the March 3 posts). Be sure to also read the comments section for some interesting debate.) (Update: Some now…
Consider... In a letter, dated February 21, to Senator Frist, Sen. Clinton wrote: This sale will create an unacceptable risk to the security of our ports. We therefore request that emergency legislation we are introducing to ban foreign governments from controlling operations at our ports be slated…
The latest issue of Parameters has an interesting piece, The Future of Afghanistan, by Ali A. Jalali, the nation's interior minister from January 2003 to September 2005. He gives a comprehensive review of what's going on the ground and also warns that the progress made in Afghanistan could vanish…
This piece by Daniel Johnson in Commentary magazine ought to drive the British Left crazy. The British are proud of their independence; they follow American fashions, whether from Hollywood or Washington, only if they can make them their own. Fortunately, Tony Blair made foreign-policy…
Frequent Weekly Standard contributor Dan Twining emailed his thoughts on one of the most underreported economic stories out there. While China gets most of the attention on the business pages, India has quietly positioned itself to be a dominant player in the 21st century world economy. In fact,…
Though hardly mentioned by the media nowadays, al Qaeda had set-up a global network long before the March 2003 invasion of Iraq. Richard Clarke told PBS' Frontline that by the end of 2000 al Qaeda had a presence "in probably between 50-60 countries [and] that they had trained thousands, perhaps…
During a speech today accusing President Bush of being weak on defense, Dean stated that, under no circumstances will a Democratic Administration ever allow Iran to become a nuclear power. What is Dean exactly saying here? Why use the phrase "nuclear power"? Is this a "no tolerance" policy that…
Here is what the governor had to say on Fox News Sunday: WALLACE: All right. Let's do a lightning round on specific issues -- quick questions, brief answers. You say that there are places that you differ with President Bush on Iraq. Such as? ROMNEY: Well, I don't think we did an adequate job…
If Iran strikes a nuclear agreement with Russia, it won't be a shock to learn that Moscow also agreed (perhaps in a Gore-like secret side deal) to block any substantial Security Council action against Tehran. Beijing may also be in on the deal given China's huge energy interests in Iran. Such a…
Frequent Weekly Standard contributor Tom Joscelyn has some interesting material here on pre-war Iraq-al Qaeda contacts.
(Update II: Uribe supporters won big in yesterday's congressional elections, paving the way for passage of the U.S-Colombia free trade deal. With strong support in Congress and probable reelection in May, Uribe's offensive against the FARC will likely intensify. All of this is pretty remarkable…
"What the alternative to promoting freedom in the Middle East?" ask the editors of the Wall Street Journal today. They also point out that the years before September 11 coincided with the rise of al Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah, the first World Trade Center bombing, the bombings of U.S. embassies in…
State Department officials in Iraq produce a daily summary of overnight pan-Arabic and regional Iraqi TV news reports. Regarding the coverage of the mosque bombing, they note: The Iraqi media continues to be focused on pushing national unity and the idea that the government is in control and taking…
From Sunday's Chattanooga Times Free Press: Friday afternoon, McCain attended a crowded Latin Builders Association lunch [in Miami]. "As for torture, we know what's going on as we speak in Castro's prisons," said McCain, who spent five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. "The real answer is the…
Lawrence Kaplan is back from Iraq and reports in the current New Republic on what he found, including this strange encounter with Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafiri. As a television in the corner of the room conveys images of the carnage outside, Jafari admits to being partial to the works of Noam…
Some politicians and others have argued that allowing the U.A.E.'s DP World to manage six major US ports would inject an additional layer of security risk that we don't need. The White House disagrees. But for argument's sake, let's assume the deal will be scuttled on "security grounds." Opponents…
William Bennett and Alan Dershowitz write in today's Washington Post on the hypocrisy of the major media on the cartoon issue. The Vatican also weighs in on the controversy today.
"Port security has been totally neglected," said New York Sen. Chuck Schumer during a press conference with his fellow Democrats in July 2004. But as with so many other federal programs -- from the Army Corps to education, transportation and health care -- Congress, on a bipartisan basis, is also…
Iran's talks with Moscow and now Beijing appear to be moving forward with Tehran "sounding more receptive to an enrichment joint venture with Russia...." But is any deal better than no deal? Back in 1994, Sen. McCain was a vocal opponent of the deal President Clinton struck with North Korea. He…
UN Ambassador John Bolton remains focused on reform in the face of the usual obstructionism that pervades Turtle Bay.
I haven't made up my mind on whether the Dubai deal harms U.S. national security. I'll wait to hear what Bush officials have to say tomorrow before the Senate Armed Services Committee. But many others, who have obviously studied the pending deal with a fine toothcomb, have. Hotline reports that Ol'…
North Carolina Republican Sue Myrick sent, and released to the press, the following "letter" to President Bush: February 22, 2006 The Honorable George W. Bush 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: In regards to selling American ports to the United Arab Emirates, not just…
(Austin Bay has more here related to my post from last week) The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point has posted on its web site several al Qaeda-related documents that have been "captured in the course of operations supporting the GWOT." Two letters, dated September 30, 1993 and May 24, 1994,…
Sen. McCain released the following statement on the Dubai port controversy: "We all need to take a moment and not rush to judgment on this matter without knowing all the facts. The President's leadership has earned our trust in the war on terror, and surely his administration deserves the…
Sen. McCain released the following statement on the Dubai port controversy: "We all need to take a moment and not rush to judgment on this matter without knowing all the facts. The President's leadership has earned our trust in the war on terror, and surely his administration deserves the…
According to Time magazine, Pentagon officials have been saying for some time that Iraqis must take more responsibility for securing their country. But can these local forces protect its critical infrastructure without U.S. help? Top American officials disagree, and that has caused friction between…
From the BBC: A curfew has been imposed in Bauchi in northern Nigerian after at least 13 people were killed in a sectarian riot. It began as an argument between a teacher and a pupil over the confiscation of a Koran in school. But rumours swept the city that the book had been desecrated and that…
A few disgruntled folks at the State Department have again run to the Washington Post to air their grievances -- anonymously, of course. This time they're not happy with Secretary Rice's reorganization plan that reportedly doesn't include rogue operators walking the halls of Foggy Bottom. Rice and…
Newt Gingrich pulled no punches late today when asked about the pending port deal by radio host Sean Hannity. Gingrich was a vocal critic of the Panama Canal Treaty in his younger days. And the architect of that treaty, Jimmy Carter, has endorsed the port deal.
It was odd that one of the biggest barriers to lifting nations out of chronic poverty -- rampant government and business corruption -- didn't appear on the radar screen at the World Economic Forum at Davos a few weeks back. There wasn't a single panel discussion on a problem that some say costs…
Since the early 1990s, radical Islamists have targeted Somalia. Back then, American forces and U.N peacekeepers were the target. Today, as in other regions of the world, they are also increasingly aiming their gun sights on moderate Muslims. From the BBC: The fighting pits a new group, the Alliance…
"Aid to Iran..." "... And Cuts for Russia"
"Iran's hardline spiritual leaders have issued an unprecedented new fatwa, or holy order, sanctioning the use of atomic weapons against its enemies," reports the Telegraph. In yet another sign of Teheran's stiffening resolve on the nuclear issue, influential Muslim clerics have for the first time…
Britain's Sunday Telegram reports on the results of a recent poll of British Muslims here.
And these are the kind of people the University of Washington "wants to produce" nowadays? I hope not. From the Wall Street Journal's John Fund: 'Pappy' Shot Down by Campus Ignoramuses It's well known that college students today aren't as educated in our nation's history as they should be, but it's…
The BBC reports on the anti-corruption campaigns being launched by many African nations. Corruption costs African countries an estimated 25% of its combined national income, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said - some $148bn a year.
Newly-elected members of Hamas have been officially sworn in and now control the Palestinian parliament. But spokesman Sami abu-Zuhri says Hamas isn't interested in peace initiatives. From the BBC: "Hamas rejects negotiations with the occupation under the current circumstances, while occupation and…
From Reuters: The United Nations on Tuesday asked Lebanon to explain reports of arms shipments crossing the Syrian border destined for the Lebanese guerrilla group Hizbollah. Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, a foe of Syria, said over the weekend that truckloads of arms and missiles had crossed…
(Update II: Today's Wall Street Journal has a piece by a former CIA intelligence officer on the "dodgy disclosures" of Paul Pillar and how his actions "will end up making the CIA even less relevant than it is today--if that is possible.") (Update I: Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Pat…
Not that facts matter anyone more in the Iraq debate, but Nightline's report last night on Saddam's tape-recorded meetings, specifically the April/May 1995 one, is key to understanding the 2003 decision to invade. On the tape, Saddam's son-in-law, Lt. Gen. Hussein Kamal, briefs Saddam on his…
Tom Ricks of the Washington Post reports on the achievements of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Iraq under the command of Col. H.R. McMaster. It's an encouraging read until the concluding paragraphs. Even now, McMaster said, he understands that his success is "fragile." The city's mayor, Najim…
The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point has posted on its web site several al Qaeda-related documents that have been "captured in the course of operations supporting the GWOT." Two letters, dated September 30, 1993 and May 24, 1994, relate directly to al Qaeda operations in Somalia. The…
First, Al Gore's pandering and now the EU's citadel of strength, Javier Solana, does the same in that paragon of religious tolerance otherwise known as Saudi Arabia. From Australia's The Age: EU chief tries to calm cartoons dispute February 14, 2006 The European Union and a major group of Islamic…
Max Boot of the Council on Foreign Relations weighs in, and Frederick Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute does the same here.
Vice President Gore is probably collecting lots of cash nowadays in speaking fees. There's nothing wrong with that, of course. But it would be interesting to know who paid Gore to travel to Saudi Arabia, the breeding ground of Islamic extremism, to accuse America of committing "terrible abuses"…
Many of the so-called cartoon protests have drawn perhaps a few thousand radical Islamists at best. Their protest tools include organized acts violence and threats to kill those who publish material they don't like. But in Lebanon, the contrast between violent and non-violent protest could not be…
Most Americans haven't heard of the International Republican Institute, but for over 20 years IRI has helped advance democracy in the world. IRI has monitored elections in over 160 nations with little or no history in democracy -- and supports democracy efforts in many others. But the New York…
Does Hillary Clinton agree with the remarks made by Vice President Gore at the Jiddah Economic Forum? Does she believe it was appropriate that Al Gore told "mainly Saudi audience ... that the U.S. government committed 'terrible abuses' against Arabs after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks"? Does she…
Outside of its current shareholders, no one is exactly sure. RosUkrEnergo is a Swiss-registered company, formed in the aftermath of the Kremlin's cut off of the Ukrainian gas supply in January, that is now supposed to be the guarantor of Ukraine's gas supply -- and make billions and billions doing…
The Sunday Times in Britain reports that the onetime counterterrorism czar and Kerry '04 supporter, Richard Clarke, has been coaching former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner on national security affairs. For his part, Warner has learnt not to question the decision to invade Iraq. As a former governor,…
On CBS News radio this morning, I listened to an interview with someone from the ABA who cited the results of a recent poll the group commissioned on the NSA surveillance program. You won't be surprised to learn that the ABA poll, unlike other polls, found that a majority of Americans oppose the…
(Update: Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) told Tim Russert on Sunday's Meet the Press that Paul Pillar said nothing about subtle political pressure on analysts when he was interviewed as part of the committee's investigation of pre-war intelligence. "Now we interviewed over…
Jim VandeHei reports in today's Washington Post that Vice President Cheney suggested last night that the debate over spying on overseas communications to or from terrorism suspects should be a political issue in this year's congressional elections.... VandeHei continued: His comments reflected the…
Andrew Sullivan has the story here.
So while others in America are worried about an Iranian nuclear weapon, the nation's top Democrat has other anxieties about Iran that keep him up at night. Forget about the Iranian president's desire to "wipe" Israel off the map and threat to choke off oil supplies to the West, Chairman Dean is…
From his gimmicky "Home from Iraq by the Holidays" troop withdrawal plan to his filibuster yodel from the Swiss Alps, Sen. John Kerry's free fall continues. In today's Washington Post, Kerry now trots out this gem concerning the violent assault directed at a newspaper published in a free society.…
In an interview yesterday with Neil Cavuto of Fox News, the Secretary of State under the first President Bush didn't pull any punches. CAVUTO: What do you make of the ferocity of the response to this cartoon? EAGLEBURGER: Well, first of all, I should tell you, I hope, devoutly, that this tends to…
In an interview yesterday with Neil Cavuto of Fox News, the Secretary of State under the first President Bush didn't pull any punches. CAVUTO: What do you make of the ferocity of the response to this cartoon? EAGLEBURGER: Well, first of all, I should tell you, I hope, devoutly, that this tends to…
In his latest piece on Iraq's WMDs, the New York Sun's Eli Lake reports on the work of David Gaubatz, a former member of the Air Force's Office of Special Investigations. He writes: A former special investigator for the Pentagon during the Iraq war said he found four sealed underground bunkers in…
A former advisor to Vice President Al Gore offers a Pattonesque battle cry for Democrats: If Democrats get sucked into a debate over tactics in the war on terror, they will lose. But it's hard to see how they lose if they wage the debate over the rule of law and if they show their willingness to…
this campaign advice and make RNC chair Ken Mehlman a very happy man.
Somehow I doubt Director Negroponte actually believes this. From The Washington Times: A new Pentagon strategy report and recent congressional testimony by the director of national intelligence show the Bush administration remains divided on the threat posed by China's rise. The Quadrennial Defense…
A piece (sub. req'd) in today's Wall Street Journal, "How Muslim Clerics Stirred Arab World Against Denmark," isn't good news for European governments seeking to avoid future problems by groveling as the European Union's justice minister recently did in suggesting a tighter code of media conduct.…
Sean Naylor has an interesting piece in the latest Armed Forces Journal. Will U.S. forces leave Afghanistan too soon? He writes: The Taliban forces are playing a clever waiting game. According to U.S. Special Forces (SF) officers, whenever possible, the insurgents are lying low, avoiding…
From the Washington Post's "In the Loop" column: "U.N. Ambassador John Bolton , who's president of the Security Council this month, is making some headway in imposing law and order at the notoriously fractious council -- but it's not been easy. At his first session last week, Bolton tried to impose…
From today's Beirut Daily Star: "The secretary general is alarmed by the threats and violence, including the attacks on embassies, that have occurred in Syria and Lebanon and other countries over the past few days," a statement attributed to Annan, issued by his spokesman Stephane Dujarric, said.…
This 24-page brief on the president's constitutional authority to conduct the NSA surveillance provides a strong and detailed legal defense of the president's actions. Its author is a former career national security official who served during the Clinton administration, as well as the current…
This piece, "Iraq, Niger, and the CIA," from the current National Journal is linked to by Rep. John Conyers on his blog. Rest assured, Rep. Conyers, who spends lots of time pushing the president's impeachment, wouldn't link to any piece if he believed it flattered the White House. But apart from…
Today's New York Sun has an interesting quote from Wayne White, the former deputy director in the Office of Analysis for Near East and South Asia in the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research. Mr. Feith's view that questions remain about Iraq's weapons program is also held by the…
In September, Roll Call reported that the House Minority Whip, Rep. Steny Hoyer (MD), had cobbled together a dozen or so of his colleagues "to shape the Democratic strategy on national security issues and battle perceptions that the party is weak on defense." The No. 2 House Democrat, a moderate…
Here's what Senate Intelligence committee chairman Pat Roberts had to say at yesterday's hearing on "Current and Projected National Security Threats to the United States." I am concerned that some of my Democrat colleagues used this unique public forum to make clear that they believe the gravest…
Where are all the Democrats demanding an investigation to catch the person who did "very severe" damage to U.S. national security? Realclearpolitics.com notes this item from CBS News: U.S. intelligence officials told Congress Thursday that disclosure of once-secret projects like President George W.…
From BBC Worldwide Monitoring: Iran is massively rearming its nuclear, biological and chemical weapons arsenal. This is the result of the first situation report by the Federal Office of Criminal Investigations and the Customs Office of Criminal Investigations (BKA, ZKA) about illegal arms transfers…
Music to the ears of Hamas and exactly the WRONG policy approach -- see here. "Hamas deserves to be recognized by the international community, and despite the group's militant history, there is a chance the soon-to-be Palestinian leaders could turn away from violence, former President Jimmy Carter…
While interviewing Mayor Giuliani last night on MSNBC, Matthews stated: ...let me just make this historic point, which is factual. Osama bin Laden offered the Saudi Arabian government his strength, his powers, to the extent he had them, to defend them if there was an attack by Iraq, by Saddam…
Two weeks ago, I wrote: With Congressional hearings set and as today's front-page New York Times story indicates, the NSA spying controversy isn't going to fade away. Opponents of the program claim the president broke the law, while supporters say the president has the constitutional and statutory…
Two weeks ago, I wrote: With Congressional hearings set and as today's front-page New York Times story indicates, the NSA spying controversy isn't going to fade away. Opponents of the program claim the president broke the law, while supporters say the president has the constitutional and statutory…
It certainly appears so. From today's New York Times: The International Atomic Energy Agency says it has evidence that suggests links between Iran's ostensibly peaceful nuclear program and its military work on high explosives and missiles, according to a report from the agency that was released to…
Given the president's remarks, here is an interesting note on the NSA/FISA controversy sent in by a Worldwide Standard reader: President Bush's wiretaps were absolutely -- without any doubt -- NOT in violation of FISA, but you have to read between the lines of [Attorney General] Gonzales' 42-page…
It may be dawning on some Democrats that letting the tail wag the dog has consequences. The left-wing blogosphere demanded that Democrats mount a filibuster against Judge Alito's confirmation, and naturally (see here), Sen. John Kerry led the charge. The result was a front-page headline, "Failed…
Investor flight is a big worry for Hamas, who now must grapple with the economic consequences of their policies. Before the recent election, the Palestinian Stock Exchange was very bullish. In 2005, the Al-Quds index of the exchange produced gains of nearly 310 percent in 2005, putting its…
From Stephen Hayes: A follow-up on Dan McKivergan's post on Russia and Iran. Dan wrote of the worrisome prospect of the U.S. putting its trust in Putin on Iran: "We better have a Plan B if Moscow's recent past is prologue. " The examples he and Mort Zuckerman provide are deeply disturbing. There…
With Hamas' election success, I dusted off the following piece I wrote for Philanthropy magazine in December 1998 on terrorist fundraising inside the United States: Bankrolling Terror Inside the world of terrorist fundraising On December 12, 1992, Israeli Army Sergeant Yuval Tutanji and two other…
Frequent Weekly Standard contributor Dan Twining emails his thoughts on one of the most underreported economic stories out there. While China gets most of the attention on the business pages, India has quietly positioned itself to be a dominant player in the 21st century world economy. If fact,…
"We saw Howard Dean earlier in your interview say that the eavesdropping program conducted under the supervision of Lieutenant General Hayden by the National Security Agency, entirely staffed by career employees -- that that somehow is pernicious, intolerably is kind of domestic spying on political…
If so, we better have a Plan B if Moscow's recent past is prologue. A little over a year ago, the European Union slapped an arms embargo on the authoritarian regime in Uzbekistan for its refusal to allow a legitimate investigation into the shooting of hundreds of protestors there last May. But…
David Brooks, in today's New York Times (sub. req'd), writes: If the Europeans refuse to isolate Hamas, if they forgive radicalism, they will destroy this budding cycle of accountability. They will reward the old revolutionary mentality. They will stop the momentum that makes this the most…
The Pentagon will soon release its Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) that will include details on the Army's force restructuring plan. Senior defense officials have resisted calls to permanently increase overall Army troop strength. They have argued that changes in the so-called "tooth-to-tail…
Gerald Baker of The Times (London) thinks so. If Iran goes nuclear, it will demonstrate conclusively that even the world's greatest superpower, unrivalled militarily, under a leadership of proven willingness to take bold military steps, could not stop a country as destabilising as Iran from…
From today's New York Times: President Bush and the Chinese government both declared their full support on Thursday for a Russian proposal to allow Iran to operate civilian nuclear facilities as long as Russia and international nuclear inspectors are in full control of the fuel. Mr. Bush's explicit…
The Swedish diplomat is back in the news lecturing everyone on Iran, North Korea and world disarmament. Naturally, he uses the Iraq War as an example of his disarmament efforts being short-circuited. In a speech hosted by the Arms Control Association, he bemoans the "hyping and spinning that takes…
The answer will determine if Hamas changes its terror-bombing stripes and engages in real peace efforts. But the fastest way that will happen, Middle East expert Dennis Ross says, is if the U.S. and Europe "stick together" in demanding that Hamas reject terrorism and accept Israel's right to exist…
From USA Today: The U.S. military cited incidents of insurgent infighting in a rare public description of a split: • At least six ranking members of al-Qaeda in Iraq have been assassinated by Sunni insurgents or tribal gunmen in separate incidents since September, Zahner said. The killings are…
Senator Clinton, who not long ago claimed she was duped into voting for the Iraq War resolution, is now opposed to the NSA operation. She says monitoring al Qaeda communications should be done in a "lawful way," but doesn't know if the current spy program broke any laws. I'm sure General Michael…
As efforts continue to stop a nuclear-armed Iran and with a new Russian proposal out there, this recent Weekly Standard piece should be kept in mind by U.S. and EU-3 policymakers. Of course, this assumes that the collective goal is an Iran with no nuclear weapons. If nothing else, Roberta…
From USA Today: [Retired Army officer Andrew] Krepinevich said in the interview that he understands why Pentagon officials do not state publicly that they are being forced to reduce troop levels in Iraq because of stress on the Army. "That gives too much encouragement to the enemy....
The Road to Euro Serfdom found this nugget from Britain's Sun: HUNDREDS of EU politicians and welfare officials enjoyed an extravagant weekend junket - to discuss poverty. Britain's pensions minister James Plaskitt was among 250 delegates at Villach in Austria. They ate gourmet meals and many…
"This is the first time an Iranian official makes military threats in a public statement on Tehran's recent disagreements with the West," reports Haaretz. [I]f Europe does not act wisely with the Iranian nuclear portfolio and it is referred to the UN Security Council and economic or air travel…
William Kristol made the following remarks on Fox News' "The Big Story" yesterday: "I think he's [President Bush} got the authority and I think he has an extremely strong legal case.... Al Qaeda released an audio of bin Laden Friday saying operations were being planned against us here in the United…
As a Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Kerry had his staff remove a blog from the Kerry for President web site blogroll because of these comments. But Sen. Kerry now blogs on the same site he once banished because in those days a connection to the site was a political liability for a…
"Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party defeated the long entrenched Liberal Party in Canadian elections on Monday," the New York Times reports. "A Conservative victory is a striking turn in the country's politics and is likely to improve Canada's strained relations with the Bush…
Kin-ming Liu, former Washington-based columnist for Hong Kong's Apple Daily, writes in to the Worldwide Standard with some suggestions. He states: "The time is now to place Hong Kong on the front burner of President Bush's democracy enlargement agenda. The administration of Chief Executive Donald…
Here are two pieces worth reading. Philip Sherwell reports in the Sunday Telegraph that, Iran has secretly extended the uranium enrichment plant at the centre of the international controversy over its resumption of banned nuclear research earlier this month, satellite imagery has revealed.... The…
With Congressional hearings set and as today's front-page New York Times story indicates, the NSA spying controversy isn't going to fade away. Opponents of the program claim the president broke the law, while supporters say the president has the constitutional and statutory authority to conduct the…
With Congressional hearings set and as today's front-page New York Times story indicates, the NSA spying controversy isn't going to fade away. Opponents of the program claim the president broke the law, while supporters say the president has the constitutional and statutory authority to conduct the…
The former secretary of state, in today's Sunday Times of London, ... On troop strength in Iraq: "There were enough troops to defeat the army. (But that) was only part of the battle. The difficult part was taking control of a very large country with 25m people and you have just taken out the whole…
The former secretary of state, in today's Sunday Times of London, ... On troop strength in Iraq: "There were enough troops to defeat the army. (But that) was only part of the battle. The difficult part was taking control of a very large country with 25m people and you have just taken out the whole…
From the Jerusalem Post (January 20, 2006): Former US president Jimmy Carter expressed optimism Friday over Hamas's participation in next week's Palestinian parliamentary elections. Carter told CNN in an interview that although Hamas were "so-called terrorists," so far "there have been no…
The Washington Post's David Ignatius is always a must read if you want to know some of the foreign policy thinking percolating inside an administration. Today, he writes: They want to avoid, if possible, a situation that appears to be a Bush vs. Iran confrontation. The administration decided last…
The Act's (S. 333) purpose is "to hold the current regime in Iran accountable for its threatening behavior and to support a transition to democracy in Iran." It would tighten sanctions on the current regime in Tehran and, among other things, support "efforts by the Iranian people to exercise…
From Reuters: Putin and Blatter accuse EU of imperialism Sun Jan 15, 2006 1:31 PM GMT MOSCOW, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Sunday accused the European Union of "imperial" aggression in soccer. "As a FIFA chief I have a big problem. The EU…
Presidential aspirant Hillary Clinton has some tough words on preventing Iran from getting nukes. "We cannot take any option off the table in sending a clear message to the current leadership of Iran that they will not be permitted to acquire nuclear weapons," she said. "In order to prevent that…
Presidential aspirant Hillary Clinton has some tough words on preventing Iran from getting nukes. "We cannot take any option off the table in sending a clear message to the current leadership of Iran that they will not be permitted to acquire nuclear weapons," she said. "In order to prevent that…
See here for BBC translation of bin Laden's remarks.
Victoria Toensing in today's Wall Street Journal has an excellent piece (sub. req'd) that takes on critics of the Bush administration's NSA surveillance program. She points out, among other things, the folly of two of the most often heard arguments peddled by critics: 1) you can always go back and…
Yesterday, the Bush administration went a step further in tying top Syrian officials to the insurgency in Iraq. In his daily press briefing, White House spokesman Scott McClellan stated: We remain deeply concerned about Syria's destablizing behavior in the Middle East and its continued support for…
Saul Singer of the Jerusalem Post has an interesting piece on Iran here. But Iran is not Libya, Iraq, or North Korea. It does not consider itself a pariah state, nor is it as self-isolated from the world. Though an oil exporter, Iran must import 40 percent of its refined fuel from abroad. Cutting…
A friend of the Worldwide Standard sends along some thoughts on the recent op-ed piece, "The Real Choice in Iraq," penned by President Carter's national security advisor. He writes: In his January 8, 2006 op-ed in the Washington Post, Zbigniew Brzezinski, in enumerating his criticisms of the Bush…
Eric Lichtblau's piece, "2002 Memo Doubted Uranium Sale Claim," in today's New York Times reports on a high-level intelligence assessment by the Bush administration concluded in early 2002 that the sale of uranium from Niger to Iraq was "unlikely" because of a host of economic, diplomatic and…
From the Associated Press: LONDON, England -- There is a "very high" probability that a terrorist group will strike using nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, a senior U.S. counterterrorism official said in comments published Tuesday. "I rate the probability of terror groups using (weapons of…
After exposing yet another top-secret program, the New York Times is now doing its best to portray the program as not having much intelligence value. Today's front-page story, "Spy Agency Data After Sept. 11 Led F.B.I. to Dead Ends," is the first of what will undoubtedly be a steady stream of other…
Al Gore is back in the news attacking President Bush's counterterrorist policies. But perhaps Gore's actions as vice president with regard to arming Iran should also be scrutinized. From the October 13, 2000 New York Times: The 1995 agreement allowed Moscow to fulfill existing sales contracts for…
Al Gore is back in the news attacking President Bush's counterterrorist policies. But perhaps Gore's actions as vice president with regard to arming Iran should also be scrutinized. From the October 13, 2000 New York Times: The 1995 agreement allowed Moscow to fulfill existing sales contracts for…
As Amb. Paul Bremer reveals in his book, there was tension within the Bush administration on the issue of troop strength in Iraq while he was in Baghdad. A Washington Post piece, "Rice's Rebuilding Plan Hits Snag," yesterday indicated that the tension over troop levels remains. On Nov. 11,…
Michael Schrage in today's Washington Post has an interesting piece, "Use Every Article In The Arsenal," related to this January 10, 2006 Worldwide Standard post: Many liberals want to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq, derail the current NSA surveillance operation tracking terrorist communications to…
From Agence France Presse: January 15, 2006 Sunday US must be willing to take military action against Iran: McCain Agence France Presse: Washington should be prepared to take military action if necessary against Iran, a senior US lawmaker said Sunday, calling the standoff over Tehran's nuclear…
From Agence France Presse: January 15, 2006 Sunday US must be willing to take military action against Iran: McCain Agence France Presse: Washington should be prepared to take military action if necessary against Iran, a senior US lawmaker said Sunday, calling the standoff over Tehran's nuclear…
The "monsters" were Saddam's Baathist thugs, reports Lewis M. Simons in the January National Geographic, and the baby was unearthed in one of the many mass graves discovered in Iraqi deserts since the March 2003 invasion. Simons went to Iraq to report on Camp Slayer, where scientists examine the…
It's easy to forget that the resolution authorizing force to kick Saddam out of Kuwait barely passed Congress. It's easy to forget that Iraq had passed frequent International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections designed to ensure its compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) or…
Evidence that Saddam Hussein's regime trained foreign terrorists surfaced soon after coalition forces entered Iraq. And, as this Wall Street Journal editorial explains, more evidence has mounted since. U.S. Marines entered Iraq's Salman Pak in early April 2003. Here's how Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks…
While al Qaeda plots attacks on Americans, the political Left in the U.S. plots the impeachment of President Bush. The ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. John Conyers, demands a special committee be formed to "investigate impeaching" the president, and today he offers "kudos to…
From AP: The British, French and German foreign ministers said Thursday that negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program had reached a ''dead end'' and the Islamic republic should be referred to the U.N. Security Council.
From today's New York Times: The story told by the two Iraqi guerrillas cut to the heart of the war that Iraqi and American officials now believe is raging inside the Iraqi insurgency. In October, the two insurgents said in interviews, a group of local fighters from the Islamic Army gathered for an…
"The Bush administration, working intensely to galvanize international pressure on Iran, has secured a guarantee from Russia that it will not block U.S. efforts to take Tehran's nuclear case to the U.N. Security Council," the Washington Post reports. "Still, Bush administration officials who spoke…
The Vice President made the following Iran related comments today in an interview on the Tony Snow Show: "Do you have any doubt that they're trying to build up a nuclear weapons program?" VICE PRESIDENT: No, I think it's pretty clear that that's their objective. If what they're really interested in…
The Vice President made the following Iran related comments today in an interview on the Tony Snow Show: "Do you have any doubt that they're trying to build up a nuclear weapons program?" VICE PRESIDENT: No, I think it's pretty clear that that's their objective. If what they're really interested in…
Vice President Cheney made the following comments today on Saddam-al Qaeda links in an interview on the Tony Snow Show: Q Mr. Vice President, you have been spending a lot of time in recent days talking about the war on terror and how important it is to take it seriously. The Weekly Standard over…
Vice President Cheney made the following comments today on Saddam-al Qaeda links in an interview on the Tony Snow Show: Q Mr. Vice President, you have been spending a lot of time in recent days talking about the war on terror and how important it is to take it seriously. The Weekly Standard over…
As former judge and Fox News commentator Andrew Napolitano explained: [In the early 1970s] I was an officer of an organization called Concerned Alumni of Princeton, and this was an organization that sought to involve the opinion of the alumni in the governance of Princeton more than was being…
Tom Joscelyn has the story here. More information on the GSPC may be found here.
From an editorial in today's Investor's Business Daily: The Dots Connect Terrorism: If a trove of documents proved Saddam's Iraq served as a training ground for al Qaida-connected terrorists, shouldn't Congress want to know about it? Shouldn't the administration be making the most of it? [The…
Many liberals want to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq, derail the current NSA surveillance operation tracking terrorist communications to the U.S., and remain outraged at U.S. covert "propaganda" efforts in Iraq -- Sen. Kennedy has called such efforts "a devious scheme." On this point, Reuel Gerecht…
From a December 3, 2001 USA Today piece>: Saddam, under intense international scrutiny after the Gulf War, also had strong ties to Khartoum, and Iraqi intelligence was well represented in the stew of Islamic radicals, insurrectionists and foreign agents pouring through the city. "We were convinced…
Will Iran be referred to the UN Security Council or will China and Russia thwart real action? BBC News reports that, Iran has removed international seals from a nuclear facility and will begin research there in the coming hours. The move ends a two-year suspension of research, and could result in…
One revealing anecdote from Ambassador Bremer's book, My Year in Iraq, involves West Virginia's Jay Rockefeller. On September 23, 2003, Bremer briefed the Senate Democratic caucus on Iraq. I started to explain why the supplemental appropriation was important by noting "the lessons of history,"…
The top presidential envoy to Iraq from May 2003 to June 2004, Ambassador Paul Bremer, is out with his new book, My Year in Iraq. What's clear from his memoir is that there were deep divisions among Bush officials -- particularly between Bremer and Sec. Rumsfeld -- on the issue of U.S. troop levels…
The top presidential envoy to Iraq from May 2003 to June 2004, Ambassador Paul Bremer, is out with his new book, My Year in Iraq. What's clear from his memoir is that there were deep divisions among Bush officials -- particularly between Bremer and Sec. Rumsfeld -- on the issue of U.S. troop levels…
Marshall Wittmann, a senior fellow at the DLC in Washington, DC, wrote the following today on his blog, BullMooseblog.com: Intelligence Design [I] continue to believe that the NSA eavesdropping program was just swell. After hearing the various arguments pro and con on the controversial program, the…
Marshall Wittmann, a senior fellow at the DLC in Washington, DC, wrote the following today on his blog, BullMooseblog.com: Intelligence Design [I] continue to believe that the NSA eavesdropping program was just swell. After hearing the various arguments pro and con on the controversial program, the…
Virginia's Gerard Alexander has an insightful piece in today's Chicago Sun-Times on the divide between European elites and average European citizens. Why are politics so different in Europe and the United States, considering that the two have wealthy economies and share a lot of cultural roots? Do…
This Wall Street Journal editorial explains why. Some critics have argued that the surveillance now at issue could have been conducted within the confines of FISA. But that doesn't appear to be true. FISA warrants are similar to criminal warrants in that they require a showing of "probable…
There are many questions contained in the 9-11 Commission report that remain unanswered. For example, page 66 of the report states: In March 1998, after Bin Ladin's public fatwa against the United States, two al Qaeda members reportedly went to Iraq to meet with Iraqi intelligence. In July, an…
There are many questions contained in the 9-11 Commission report that remain unanswered. For example, page 66 of the report states: In March 1998, after Bin Ladin's public fatwa against the United States, two al Qaeda members reportedly went to Iraq to meet with Iraqi intelligence. In July, an…
There are many questions contained in the 9-11 Commission report that remain unanswered. For example, page 66 of the report states: In March 1998, after Bin Ladin's public fatwa against the United States, two al Qaeda members reportedly went to Iraq to meet with Iraqi intelligence. In July, an…
Just a thought but Bush administration officials may want to emphasize victory in Iraq a bit more and troop withdrawals a little less.
DNC chair Howard Dean isn't about to let a war get in the way of playing politics. On the DNC web site, -- see here (scroll down a bit) -- you will find a picture of a grinning Dean standing next to a large stack of Freedom of Information Act requests with the caption: Shortly after the New York…
"Hundreds of millions of pounds of equipment was imported into the African country over a three-year period before the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington in 2001 and has since disappeared," according to The Guardian. The paper has been reporting daily on the contents of a leaked European…
From today's New York Times. Microsoft has shut the blog site of a well-known Chinese blogger who uses its MSN online service in China after he discussed a high-profile newspaper strike that broke out here one week ago. The decision is the latest in a series of measures in which some of America's…
Abdul-Halim Khaddam has more tough words for his former boss, Bashar Assad. Khaddam, who was deeply involved in the Syrian presence in Lebanon, said Assad's ''mistakes'' on the domestic and international front had weakened the Syrian regime beyond repair to the point where ''it can no longer reform…
Madeleine Albright, William Cohen and William Perry and other former government officials met with the president today to confer on Iraq. This may be a good time to review the Clinton administration's case against Saddam Hussein. Some highlights: * The New York Times reported that at a November 14…
Policy Review has an interesting piece available only on its website, policyreview.org. Its author, Tony Corn, has a unique perspective on the "Global War on Terrorism," having served in U.S. embassies in Bucharest, Moscow, and Paris and at the U.S. Missions to the EU and to NATO in Brussels. The…
With a belligerent North Korea on its doorstep, Tokyo announces that it will jointly develop with the United States a sea-based interceptor missile for a missile defense system.
On October 11, 2001, intelligence officials are worried that al Qaeda sleeper cells inside the U.S. may strike, while Rep. Pelosi apparently worries about the methods the NSA is employing to detect them. Her letter, dated Oct. 11, 2001, to then NSA head General Michael Hayden is quite astonishing.…
Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, says Israel should be "wiped off the map" and apparently believes that the rest of the world will huff and puff but do little to stop Tehran's quest for nuclear weapons. From today's New York Times: Iran could be gambling that even if it restarts nuclear…
The Washington Post's David Ignatius has some interesting comments from Lebanon's Walid Jumblatt on Tehran's close link to Damascus and the need for regime change in Syria.
But it's unclear what Rep. Pelosi's position was on the program at the time. Her letter to then NSA director Gen. Michael Hayden leaves many questions unanswered. As a senior Republican Capitol Hill staffer told me: So let me get this straight: Pelosi knew about the NSA work back in October…
Tom Joscelyn has an interesting take here on some of the anonymous sources cited in the New York Times reporter's new book.
This one. Here is what the Daily Kos founder had to say a while back -- comments that got him removed from the Kerry for President web site blogroll. Wall Street Journal BY JAMES TARANTO Friday, April 2, 2004 5:08 p.m. EST 'Screw Them' Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, who runs the Angry Left Daily Kos…
This one. And below is what its founder had to say a while back -- comments that got him removed from the Kerry for President web site blogroll. Wall Street Journal BY JAMES TARANTO Friday, April 2, 2004 5:08 p.m. EST "Screw Them" Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, who runs the Angry Left Daily Kos blog, had…
And it isn't to prosecute a more vigorous war against America's enemies. From The Nation: There are many reasons why it is crucial that the Democrats regain control of Congress in '06, but consider this one: If they do, there may be articles of impeachment introduced and the estimable John Conyers,…
New York Times reporter James Risen reaches this conclusion in his just released book, State of War. Let's see how many media outlets bother to quote it in their coverage of the book's other "revelations."
Gary Schmitt of the American Enterprise Institute has written extensively on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) -- see here and here. In the case of the 9/11 plot, Schmitt noted in the Washington Post that FISA might have prevented FBI agents from detecting and preventing the al Qaeda…
From today's Washington Post: After the March 11, 2004 train bombings in Madrid just before Spanish elections, a Norwegian think tank, Forsvarets Forskningsinstitutt, discovered an Islamist strategy paper on an obscure Web site that might have signaled the attacks ahead of time. The document said,…
More straight talk from the New York Post's Ralph Peters. IRAQ made impressive progress in 2005. You wouldn't have known it from the daily news coverage or the surrender-now demands of left-wing extremists, but the long-suffering nation marched forward. Here and abroad, the enemies of freedom…
As the noose tightens around Assad over the Hariri assassination, we shouldn't forget his active support of our enemies in Iraq. From a September 2005 Time piece: The Baathists, on the other hand, were more active in courting the tribes. Starting in November 2003, tribal sheiks and Baathist…
From Thursday's Journal editorial: The House took a step in that direction this month by passing another immigration "reform" bill heavy with border control and business harassment and light on anything that will work in the real world.
This past Saturday, the Washington Post published a letter by Coleen Rowley, former FBI Special Agent and the Chief Division Counsel for the Bureau's Minneapolis office, criticizing an editorial,"Vital Presidential Power," co-authored by Weekly Standard editor William Kristol and AEI resident…
1) "What Happened to Iraq's Biological Agent Storage Tanks or the Spray Dryer Used for Turning Liquid Agent into a Dried Form? Any Update on the Document that Indicated Iraq had Built a Fermentation Plant?" -- Here 2) "What did Hans Blix say in March 2003 about Saddam's Missile & WMD-Warhead…
Tom Bevan of Real Clear Politics explains here. ... must we reveal every method we're employing for national security to the world....
Have you noticed that the Bush administration is always duping the Democrats? Just listen to John Kerry, Jay Rockefeller, Hillary Clinton, or Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. They voted for the war in Iraq. They walked onto the Senate floor to explain their vote. Saddam possessed chemical and…
The chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI), explains why in today's Washington Times. During Operations Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, coupled with the ongoing global war on terror, the United States has collected a vast array…
While in Iraq, the defense secretary hinted at reducing levels by two Army brigades that would "drop the American troop presence below the 138,000 level that had been considered a baseline prior to the temporary addition of about 20,000 troops to provide extra security during the Oct. 15 referendum…
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso states the obvious. From the AP: Japan has long listed China's military expansion as a top security concern in the region but the remarks by Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso were unusually blunt and echoed U.S. concern about Beijing's military spending. ''It's a…
From today's Washington Post: Annan castigated what he called unfair media coverage of his role and that of his son, Kojo, in the United Nations' now-defunct oil-for-food program in Iraq. He scolded James Bone of the Times of London for telling him, "Your own version of events don't really make…
From the Duelfer Report, Volume 3, Biological Warfare, September 30, 2004: (Storage Tanks/Fermenters) In 1990, Iraq produced at least 39-possibly as many as 70-1,000-liter mobile tanks that could be readily converted into fermenters. Additionally, 8 mobile 800-liter tanks/fermentors were…
From the Duelfer Report, Volume 3, Biological Warfare, September 30, 2004: (Storage Tanks/Fermenters) In 1990, Iraq produced at least 39-possibly as many as 70-1,000-liter mobile tanks that could be readily converted into fermenters. Additionally, 8 mobile 800-liter tanks/fermentors were…
From the Duelfer Report, Volume 3, Biological Warfare, September 30, 2004: (Storage Tanks/Fermenters) In 1990, Iraq produced at least 39-possibly as many as 70-1,000-liter mobile tanks that could be readily converted into fermenters. Additionally, 8 mobile 800-liter tanks/fermentors were…
From the Duelfer Report, Volume 3, Biological Warfare, September 30, 2004: (Storage Tanks/Fermenters) In 1990, Iraq produced at least 39-possibly as many as 70-1,000-liter mobile tanks that could be readily converted into fermenters. Additionally, 8 mobile 800-liter tanks/fermentors were…
It's a good bet Americans may be interested in getting an answer. Sen. Rockefeller and Rep. Pelosi were briefed on the NSA surveillance program two years ago, but are quick to let everyone (particularly their party's hysterical base) know that they had serious "concerns" about it. According to…
John Schmidt, who served in the Clinton Justice Department from 1994 to 1997, wrote the following in today's Chicago Tribune: President had legal authority to OK taps Chicago Tribune By John Schmidt Published December 21, 2005 President Bush's post- Sept. 11, 2001, authorization to the National…
Weekly Standard contributor Tom Joscelyn points to this interesting piece from the Associated Press on his new blog (http://thomasjoscelyn.blogspot.com). December 20, 2005 Tuesday 7:55 PM Eastern Time U.S. Army Digs Up Weapons Cache in Iraq BYLINE: RYAN LENZ; Associated Press Writer DATELINE: ZUWAD…
First, America can't "win the war in Iraq" and now the head of the Democratic Party contributes this to the war effort against al Qaeda.
This is an interesting nugget from a New York Post op-ed today: In 2002, the feds (presumably the NSA) picked up random cellphone chatter using the words "Brooklyn Bridge" (which apparently didn't translate well into Arabic). They notified the New York Police Department, which flooded the bridge…
Wonder if Howard Dean signed on to this "report." Yet another reason voters aren't likely to want a Speaker Pelosi in the midst of the War on Terror. Here are some more reasons.
With the far-left impeachment train gathering steam, this may be a good time to review a December 2003 piece in Slate by Stewart Baker, general counsel to the National Security Agency from 1992 to 94. In the spring and summer of 2001, with al-Qaida's preparations growing even more intense, the…
National Review's Byron York explains here. In a little-remembered debate from 1994, the Clinton administration argued that the president has "inherent authority" to order physical searches - including break-ins at the homes of U.S. citizens - for foreign intelligence purposes without any warrant…
We heard a lot of criticism from politicians and editorial page writers on the failure of U.S. intelligence to "connect to dots" to prevent the September 11 attacks. But what about connecting them post-9/11. Gary Schmitt, currently a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote on…
THE WASHINGTON POST reported last weekendthat strategists at the Democratic Leadership Council fear Democrats could be walking into "a trap" on Iraq. In a strategy memo to Democrats last week, they warned "party leaders not to use Bush's problems as an invitation to call for an immediate U.S.…
Craig S. Smith explains in Sunday's New York Times. While French universities are open to all high school graduates, the grandes écoles - great schools - from which many of the country's leaders emerge, weed out anyone who does not fit a finely honed mold. Of the 350,000 students graduating…
From a Weekly Standard friend: "Four days after Iraq's third free election this year, and on the day Afghanistan's new parliament opens, Freedom House released its major survey of global freedom. The study can be found here. In his essay on the Middle East, Arch Puddington, director of research at…
The New York Sun has an excellent editorial today on the Democrats and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. America is in a war with Islamic extremists who are trying to defeat our country. "Two of the terrorist hijackers who flew a jet into the Pentagon, Nawaf al Hamzi and Khalid al Mihdhar,…
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding a New York Times article published last Friday: As the New York Times reported, the President of the United States has authorized, after counseling with the Department of Justice and various legal…
Robert Kagan and William Kristol explain here. THE PURPLE INK on 11 million Iraqi fingers had not yet dried after an unprecedented, almost miraculous exercise in democratic freedom--and already there were querulous American critics working hard to make light of the whole thing. "Experts Cautious in…
Funny, I never knew that Albert Brooks had such a command of Islamic culture and history.
First, it was John Kerry who caved in to the anti-war left. John Edwards soon followed -- see here. Now, it's Sen. Clinton. In the last few weeks, the prospective presidential candidate supported the Levin resolution on timetables for troop withdrawal from Iraq, penned "a letter to constituents"…
Richard John Neuhaus, Editor-in-Chief of First Things, November 28, 2005: This is an argument very much worth having. Charles Krauthammer writes in the Weekly Standard: "But if that is the case, then McCain embraces the same exceptions I do, but prefers to pretend he does not. If that is the case,…
Richard John Neuhaus, Editor-in-Chief of First Things, November 28, 2005: This is an argument very much worth having. Charles Krauthammer writes in the Weekly Standard: "But if that is the case, then McCain embraces the same exceptions I do, but prefers to pretend he does not. If that is the case,…
John Burns of the New York Times continues his first-rate reporting from Iraq. On a day when the high voter turnout among Sunni Arabs was the main surprise, Ali and his posse of friends, unguarded as boys can be, acted like a chorus for the scene unfolding about them. A new willingness to distance…
John Burns of the New York Times continues his first-rate reporting from Iraq. On a day when the high voter turnout among Sunni Arabs was the main surprise, Ali and his posse of friends, unguarded as boys can be, acted like a chorus for the scene unfolding about them. A new willingness to distance…
Turnout "at least 67 percent" reports Lebanon's Daily Star.
From the Wall Street Journal, December 9, 2005: Even as Saddam Hussein's trial and the dramatic witness testimonies about his crimes are broadcast live across the world, doubts about the legitimacy of the war continue to get a lot of media attention. But thanks to a Frenchman -- no, that's no typo…
Bill Roggio reports from Barwana, Iraq: The polls have been open for six hours in the town of Barwana, one of the three Triad cities which include Haqlaniyah and Haditha. The poll site sits right beneath the now-destroyed Barwana bridge, where Zarqawi terrorists routinely executed residents for not…
and "soldiers talk democracy," while Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid talks baseball. The president "is 0 for 3 in his last three speeches," Reid said today. "He hasn't leveled with the American people or laid out a strategy for success." How inspiring.
The Wall Street Journal reports (sub req'd) today that the administration has been pressing Congress to fund research into a new generation of nuclear weapons. Lawmakers have twice turned down proposals to design a new nuclear 'bunker-buster' bomb.... But last month, with little debate, Congress…
Today's Washington Times reports: The Pentagon yesterday announced a landmark change in the use of combat troops, elevating "stability missions" -- commonly called nation-building -- to an equal status with major combat operations. The evolution in war-planning priorities underscores how the…
A few war opponents on the left know Howard Dean goofed with his we can't "win the war" line -- read here, for example. Dean's remark allowed the White House and "hacks" to frame the debate between those who want to pursue victory and those (like Dean) who are conceding defeat. The trick for…
Heritage Foundation scholars John J. Tkacik Jr. and Dana Dillon make their case in the latest issue of Policy Review. What Beijing Wants In early 2000, Condoleezza Rice wrote, "China resents the role of the United States in the Asia-Pacific Region. This means that China is not a ‘status quo'…
"The communist state, meanwhile, responded to U.S. critiques with predictably strident rhetoric -- but also took the unusual step of inviting Western tourists to visit in 2006," reports today's Washington Times.
Bush, telling it like it is here. Democracy over dictatorship is the key to long-term peace and security, as Condi Rice also explained yesterday.
Find it here, and here is what a national anti-military group has been up to.
Lebanon's Daily Star reports here.
From the Associated Press: A prominent anti-Syrian journalist and lawmaker was killed by a car bomb Monday, a day after returning from France, where he had been staying periodically for fear of assassination.... Lebanon has been rocked by a series of explosions since the Feb. 14 assassination of…
Kristol editorial, "Back to Basics," Weekly Standard, October 3, 2005: Ronald Reagan used to say that the right policy is often simple-though not easy to carry out. Efforts to win the war, cut taxes and spending, and appoint constitutionalist judges will of course encounter real-world difficulties…
Secretary of State Rice writes in today's Washington Post on "why promoting freedom is the only realistic path to security." If the school of thought called "realism" is to be truly realistic, it must recognize that stability without democracy will prove to be false stability, and that fear of…
Henry Kissinger, who supported Saddam's removal from power, explains the folly of withdrawal timetables, and why the Pentagon's "linear" thinking on the training of Iraqi forces "runs the risk of confirming the adage that guerrillas win if they do not lose." Whatever one's view of the decision to…
Henry Kissinger, who supported Saddam's removal from power, explains the folly of withdrawal timetables, and why the Pentagon's "linear" thinking on the training of Iraqi forces "runs the risk of confirming the adage that guerrillas win if they do not lose." Whatever one's view of the decision to…
In 1997, UNSCOM declared that it had accounted for 817 of the 819 missiles prohibited by UN resolution 687. But the 819 referred only to the Scuds that Iraq imported from the Soviet Union, not the issue of Iraq's indigenous missile production. The report stated: However, priority requirements are:…
In 1997, UNSCOM declared that it had accounted for 817 of the 819 missiles prohibited by UN resolution 687. But the 819 referred only to the Scuds that Iraq imported from the Soviet Union, not the issue of Iraq's indigenous missile production. The report stated: However, priority requirements are:…
Frederick Kagan explains in the upcoming issue of the Weekly Standard. In his lengthy piece, he makes the following points: 1. Arbitrary deadlines or milestones for withdrawal threaten to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.t 2. US Troops do NOT Impede Progress and are NOT the primary target of…
Here's what Dean's brother had to say about the Connecticut senator. Earlier this week while discussing the war in Iraq, Senator Joseph Lieberman said, "It's time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge he'll be commander-in-chief for three more critical years, and that in matters…
Here's what Dean's brother had to say about the Connecticut senator. Earlier this week while discussing the war in Iraq, Senator Joseph Lieberman said, "It's time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge he'll be commander-in-chief for three more critical years, and that in matters…
The New Republic's Lawrence Kaplan explains here (sub. may be req'd): The contradiction pits the liberal ideal that discourages impinging on the autonomy of others against the liberal ideal that no people ought to be governed without their consent--and that liberals ought therefore to support the…
America hater Harold Pinter doesn't let the Academy down. But hey, the Associated Press reporter says the Academy is just "rewarding writers who make a stand against authority" like they did "in rewarding the literature prize to Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn in 1970."
A Post and Courier columnist reports that Gov. Warner was a hit at a fundraiser last night in South Carolina. In fact, he was so good that he "appears to have wrapped up South Carolina's 2008 Democratic presidential primary more than two years before voters will go to the polls and after only his…
Duelfer's September 2004 report stated: ISG has substantial documentary evidence and source reporting indicating that the Regime intentionally violated various international resolutions and agreements in order to pursue its delivery systems programs. Sources with direct access have described…
Duelfer's September 2004 report stated: ISG has substantial documentary evidence and source reporting indicating that the Regime intentionally violated various international resolutions and agreements in order to pursue its delivery systems programs. Sources with direct access have described…
Today's Wall Street Journal reports: "Congressional investigators are looking at whether the administration underplayed prewar intelligence that was correct in forecasting the post-Saddam chaos that currently engulfs" Iraq. Senate Intel. Cmte Vice-Chair Jay Rockefeller (D-WV): "During the run-up to…
Sensible Democrats are panicked by Dean's remark that the US cannot win in Iraq, and even the DNC press folks are doing their best to backfill the big hole Dean's mouth has dug for them. The head of the major opposition party in the US told Zarqawi, Zawahiri and bin Laden that America won't be…
As usual, Sen. Joe Lieberman acts as one of the very few adults in the Donkey party. The Kennedy-Dean crowd spend their waking hours telling the US troops that their commander-in-chief lied them into war, yet they "support the troops." Please.
When Howard Dean was gaining steam for the Democratic nomination, the party's establishment panicked -- and rightly so. Dean would have been demolished. One prominent Democrat even penned an effective anti-Dean piece in the Washington Post in April 2003 under the headline, "The Blair Democrats:…
When Howard Dean was gaining steam for the Democratic nomination, the party's establishment panicked -- and rightly so. Dean would have been demolished. One prominent Democrat even penned an effective anti-Dean piece in the Washington Post in April 2003 under the headline, "The Blair Democrats:…
If anyone has an example of a party chairman making remarks similar to those of Howard Dean, please send them along to wws@weeklystandard.com.
If anyone has an example of a party chairman making remarks similar to those of Howard Dean, please send them along to wws@weeklystandard.com.
Capt. Rozelle is profiled in this small newspaper in Alexandria, Virginia. He understands how the world changed on September 11, unlike defeatists like Howard Dean and Nancy Pelosi. For instance, "the week I met my new foot," he said that a reporter from CBS News followed him around. "I was proud,…
Howard Dean, America's enemies thank you.
With December 7 fast approaching, WWII vets share their stories with NavySEALs.com's W. Thomas Smith Jr.
On Meet the Press today, Tim Russert and Sen. John McCain had the following exchange over what Sen. Ted Kennedy has called "a devious scheme." MR. RUSSERT: The Pentagon, in fact, was paying Iraqi journalists to publish articles favorable to the United States' position. The Los Angeles Times first…
Weekly Standard contributor Robert Kagan explains in today's Washington Post. The current discussion about drawing down American troops in Iraq -- whether "immediately," "rapidly" or "as soon as possible" -- would be amusing were it not so dangerously divorced from reality. There could be no…
If you ever get the chance, go visit this outstanding tribute to America's World War II generation.
The Financial Times has the story here. Thus there's much to play for and, to make the play more interesting, a new society was recently launched at a crowded, sweaty reception in the House of Commons. The Henry Jackson Society is named for the US congressman who insisted that US governments…
See here. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), a member of the Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to the Defense Department's inspector general asking for an investigation into the program and the Lincoln Group contract. Kennedy called it "a devious scheme to place favorable propaganda in Iraqi…
The folks at the DLC write: Demands for an immediate troop withdrawal or arbitrary deadlines risk turning premature declarations that the United States has failed in Iraq into a self-fulfilling prophecy. That is why Democrats must reject them. If our forces leave before the Iraqis can defend…
The folks at the DLC write: Demands for an immediate troop withdrawal or arbitrary deadlines risk turning premature declarations that the United States has failed in Iraq into a self-fulfilling prophecy. That is why Democrats must reject them. If our forces leave before the Iraqis can defend…
Hanson writes in today's Chicago Tribune: But all that is precisely the risk we must take in supporting the McCain amendment--because it is a public reaffirmation of our country's ideals. The United States can win this global war without employing torture. That we will not resort to what comes so…
The Washington Post reports that the US military will give a higher priority to preparing for post-conflict stability operations -- very good idea. But while many may agree on this post-conflict focus, there's quite a divide -- Powell, Shinseki, Rumsfeld, etc. -- on just how big the deployed force…
A friend of the Worldwide Standard emailed some material Sen. Kerry apparently hasn't read. Senator Kerry, November 30, 2005: Secondly, this debate is not about an artificial date for withdrawal. Several times in his speech today, the president set up this straw man and then knocks it down. That's…
From Hoyer press statement on the President's Iraq speech, November 30, 2005: I believe that a precipitous withdrawal of American forces in Iraq could lead to disaster, spawning a civil war, fostering a haven for terrorists and damaging our nation's security and credibility.
From Hoyer press statement on the President's Iraq speech, November 30, 2005: I believe that a precipitous withdrawal of American forces in Iraq could lead to disaster, spawning a civil war, fostering a haven for terrorists and damaging our nation's security and credibility.
Bush Attempts Hard Sell on Iraq Progress By CALVIN WOODWARD, Associated Press Writer Wed Nov 30, 1:57 PM ET President Bush's depiction of Iraqi security forces as "helping to turn the tide" is difficult to square with persistent setbacks in handing control of the country back to its own people. His…
"A U.S. withdrawal would likely lead to carnage on a scale that would dwarf what is now occurring in Iraq."
The House Minority Whip formed a group a few months back "to shape the Democratic strategy on national security issues and battle perceptions that the party is weak on defense," reported Roll Call in September. The rollout of the defense blueprint by Hoyer and his team comes just as some of the…
From Roll Call moments ago: Pelosi Backs Murtha Call for U.S. Withdrawal By Erin P. Billings Roll Call Staff Wednesday, Nov. 30 In a move likely to cause a stir among members of her divided Democratic Caucus, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) on Wednesday endorsed fellow Democratic Rep.…
From Roll Call moments ago: Pelosi Backs Murtha Call for U.S. Withdrawal By Erin P. Billings Roll Call Staff Wednesday, Nov. 30 In a move likely to cause a stir among members of her divided Democratic Caucus, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) on Wednesday endorsed fellow Democratic Rep.…
The Christian Science Monitor has an interesting piece on Chinese espionage methods inside the United States. China has spent more than two decades creating a large and varied intelligence infrastructure in the United States, according to US counterintelligence documents. High-profile prosecutions…
John Pike explains in today's Los Angeles Times.
The Defeatniks at Moveon.org may want to look at this before cutting a commercial on this.
It's easy to forget that Senator Ted Kennedy & Company tried their best to defeat the resolution authorizing force to kick Saddam out of Kuwait. It's easy to forget that Iraq had passed frequent International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections designed to ensure its compliance with the Nuclear…
It's easy to forget that Senator Ted Kennedy & Company tried their best to defeat the resolution authorizing force to kick Saddam out of Kuwait. It's easy to forget that Iraq had passed frequent International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections designed to ensure its compliance with the Nuclear…
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero hosted a European-Mediterranean summit that ends "with a murmur." From the Los Angeles Times: The desperation of the summit hosts to achieve agreement, any agreement, was revealed during a break in deliberations. A microphone had been left on near…
Today's Wall Street Journal has an excellent piece, "Our Troops Must Stay," by Senator Lieberman who just returned from Iraq. Progress is visible and practical. In the Kurdish North, there is continuing security and growing prosperity. The primarily Shiite South remains largely free of terrorism,…
The Director of the White House Office of Drug Control Policy, John Walters, delivered a "Progress Report on Anti-Drug Efforts in Colombia" here and here. According to Walters, heroin purity has declined 22 percent between 2003 and 2004, with an increase of 30 percent in price. Yet another…
Yet another Murray Waas bombshell piece -- if you believe the leftwing blogs and liberal pundits -- on Iraq has appeared in the National Journal as a "news feature." The fact that the anti-Bush crowd loves what Waas has to write should come as no surprise. Over the years, he has written for the…
Yet another Murray Waas bombshell piece -- if you believe the leftwing blogs and liberal pundits -- on Iraq has appeared in the National Journal as a "news feature." The fact that the anti-Bush crowd loves what Waas has to write should come as no surprise. Over the years, he has written for the…
Economist and Weekly Standard contributing editor Irwin Stelzer notes that the New York Times managed "to bury the good news about weekend sales (up 22 percent over last year) by reporting instead, on page 1 of the business section, that mall-based specialty stores are losing out to big stores like…
Blackfive.net shares the bravery and courage of Javier's Marine squad in Iraq.
National Review's Victor Davis Hanson has an insightful piece on the "complicated" anger of the Democratic establishment. Despite acrimony at home, the politics of two national elections and a third on the horizon, and the slander of war crimes and incompetence, those on the battlefield of Iraq…
On Sunday, November 20, Democratic Senator Joe Biden peddled the "imminent threat" myth. Here's the exchange he had with Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace: WALLACE: I don't think that the vice president ever said anything about an imminent threat. And actually, some Democrats did. BIDEN: Oh, he…
The White House released this document on pre-war intelligence on November 15. Topics addressed include: Foreign Governments That Opposed The Removal Of Saddam Hussein Judged That Iraq Had Weapons Of Mass Destruction (WMD). The Presidential Daily Brief (PDB) Was Judged Not To Have Different…
1) "Document Date: Feb-02, Title: ...Training Manual from Al Qaida Chemical Plant regarding Chem Warfare, Description: Contains papers concerning Iraqi officials, prices of equipment, training plans, and actions...all concerning chemical warfare" -- Here 2) "Did Saddam Hussein Account for the VX…
President Clinton told an audience two days ago that he had never "personally" seen any intel linking Iraq and Al-Qaeda and "no one I knew believed that was the case," reported the Westchester Journal-News. Well, the following quotes seem to indicate that the Clinton administration was "deeply…
President Clinton told an audience two days ago that he had never "personally" seen any intel linking Iraq and Al-Qaeda and "no one I knew believed that was the case," reported the Westchester Journal-News. Well, the following quotes seem to indicate that the Clinton administration was "deeply…
Newsmax.com's Jason Barnes has set up a web site -- www.whosaiditiraq.blogspot.com -- to compile as many quotes from Democrats on Iraq as possible. If you have any, send them along to whosaiditiraq@gmail.com
On Saturday, the New York Times published an editorial, "A Cold War China Policy," criticizing the president's approach to Beijing. Dan Blumenthal, former senior director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia in the Secretary of Defense's Office of International Security Affairs and current AEI fellow,…
Vice President Cheney delivered this speech today at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. Here are some highlights: "All of us understood, as well, that for more than a decade, the U.N. Security Council had demanded that Saddam Hussein make a full accounting of his weapons…
The New York Post's Ralph Peters on "How to Lose a War."
From Time Magazine, November 20, 2005: In contrast to the Pentagon's stock answer that there are enough troops on the ground in Iraq, the commanders said that they not only needed more manpower but also had repeatedly asked for it. Indeed, military sources told TIME that as recently as August 2005,…
In the current Weekly Standard, Stephen F. Hayes has a piece on the enormous volume of documents captured in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion. Hayes writes: There are many such documents in a U.S. intelligence database known as HARMONY. One example: Document number ICSQ-2003-00025586 was captured…
In the current Weekly Standard, Stephen F. Hayes has a piece on the enormous volume of documents captured in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion. Hayes writes: There are many such documents in a U.S. intelligence database known as HARMONY. One example: Document number ICSQ-2003-00025586 was captured…
In the current Weekly Standard, Stephen F. Hayes has a piece on the enormous volume of documents captured in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion. Hayes writes: There are many such documents in a U.S. intelligence database known as HARMONY. One example: Document number ICSQ-2003-00025586 was captured…
In the current Weekly Standard, Stephen F. Hayes has a piece on the enormous volume of documents captured in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion. Hayes writes: There are many such documents in a U.S. intelligence database known as HARMONY. One example: Document number ICSQ-2003-00025586 was captured…
Iraq admitted in 1995 that it had produced nearly four tons of VX, but UN inspectors believed Saddam had imported 600 tons of VX precursors -- enough to produce 200 tons of the nerve agent. VX was clearly important to the regime. According to UNMOVIC's March 6, 2003 report, [i]n a top secret…
Iraq admitted in 1995 that it had produced nearly four tons of VX, but UN inspectors believed Saddam had imported 600 tons of VX precursors -- enough to produce 200 tons of the nerve agent. VX was clearly important to the regime. According to UNMOVIC's March 6, 2003 report, [i]n a top secret…
Iraq admitted in 1995 that it had produced nearly four tons of VX, but UN inspectors believed Saddam had imported 600 tons of VX precursors -- enough to produce 200 tons of the nerve agent. VX was clearly important to the regime. According to UNMOVIC's March 6, 2003 report, [i]n a top secret…
Iraq admitted in 1995 that it had produced nearly four tons of VX, but UN inspectors believed Saddam had imported 600 tons of VX precursors -- enough to produce 200 tons of the nerve agent. VX was clearly important to the regime. According to UNMOVIC's March 6, 2003 report, [i]n a top secret…
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman released the following statement today: Intelligence Chairs Calls for Declassification of Documents Seized in Global War on Terrorism FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Nov. 18, 2005 Intelligence Chairs Call for Declassification of Documents Seized…
Texas Sen. John Cornyn released the following press statement today: WHO'S PLAYING POLITICS ON IRAQ? While the Minority Leader Complains on the Senate Floor, Democrats Attack The Senate Minority Leader took to the Senate floor this afternoon to accuse the White House of playing politics. [T]he…
The media is all over the comments made by House Democrat John Murtha of Pennsylvania today. But will the same media cover Sen. McCain's remarks made here? We have told insurgents that their violence does grind us down, that their horrific acts might be successful. But these are precisely the wrong…
The media is all over the comments made by House Democrat John Murtha of Pennsylvania today. But will the same media cover Sen. McCain's remarks made here? We have told insurgents that their violence does grind us down, that their horrific acts might be successful. But these are precisely the wrong…
The media is all over the comments made by House Democrat John Murtha of Pennsylvania today. But will the same media cover Sen. McCain's remarks made here? We have told insurgents that their violence does grind us down, that their horrific acts might be successful. But these are precisely the wrong…
The media is all over the comments made by House Democrat John Murtha of Pennsylvania today. But will the same media cover Sen. McCain's remarks made here? We have told insurgents that their violence does grind us down, that their horrific acts might be successful. But these are precisely the wrong…
Weekly Standard contributor and German Marshall Fund fellow Daniel Twining on the incompatibility of restricting free speech in a globalized information age: Freedom of the press is under attack in much of Asia -- in countries that should know better, like Thailand and Singapore, and perhaps most…
In typical Clinton fashion (and with Bush's poll numbers down), he now says going into Iraq was a "big mistake," but he's glad Saddam Hussein is no longer in power. His remarks remind me of his clever answer to a question on how Gov. Clinton would have voted on the first Gulf War resolution had he…
In typical Clinton fashion (and with Bush's poll numbers down), he now says going into Iraq was a "big mistake," but he's glad Saddam Hussein is no longer in power. His remarks remind me of his clever answer to a question on how Gov. Clinton would have voted on the first Gulf War resolution had he…
Some may be found here in the Washington Times and here in the New York Sun. And, here's what Bob Dole had to say yesterday on CNN: I think it's time that President Bush came out slugging. I mean, these guys [the Democrats] have been beating him up for the last six months. And he's hunkered down…
Let's not kid ourselves. The GOP walked right into a Democratic trap yesterday, and the newspaper headlines today are the early result. First, Republicans let months pass before countering the Democratic drumbeat that the President "lied us into war," despite the mountain of material available to…
The White House released this document in response to this editorial in today's New York Times.
William Kristol writes: One hopes that a year from now this vote is simply remembered as a minor hiccup on the way to success and victory in Iraq. But one doesn't win a war by showing weakness. And one doesn't win a political fight by half capitulating to one's opponents, and, in effect, accepting…
On April 8, 1991, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 687, the first post-Gulf War disarmament resolution, which declared, among other things, that Iraq not commit or support any act of international terrorism or allow any organization directed towards commission of such acts to operate…
On April 8, 1991, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 687, the first post-Gulf War disarmament resolution, which declared, among other things, that Iraq not commit or support any act of international terrorism or allow any organization directed towards commission of such acts to operate…
American Enterprise Institute resident scholar and frequent Weekly Standard contributor Gary Schmitt writes: Sunday's Washington Post ran a story, "Bush Carries to China a Delicate Diplomacy," by Peter Baker and Glenn Kessler in advance of President Bush's upcoming trip to Asia. The Post article…
Last week, I noted that Virginia Governor Mark Warner is now considered a serious candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. He is traveling to New Hampshire this week on a wave of punditry that declared him one of the "biggest winners" of Tuesday's election. The Washington Post's E.J.…
Last week, I noted that Virginia Governor Mark Warner is now considered a serious candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. He is traveling to New Hampshire this week on a wave of punditry that declared him one of the "biggest winners" of Tuesday's election. The Washington Post's E.J.…
Last week, I noted that Virginia Governor Mark Warner is now considered a serious candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. He is traveling to New Hampshire this week on a wave of punditry that declared him one of the "biggest winners" of Tuesday's election. The Washington Post's E.J.…
Last week, I noted that Virginia Governor Mark Warner is now considered a serious candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. He is traveling to New Hampshire this week on a wave of punditry that declared him one of the "biggest winners" of Tuesday's election. The Washington Post's E.J.…
"'If you have forgotten Halabja, we are ready to repeat the operation,' Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri to the Kurds, reminding them of chemical attacks they suffered," writes the BBC in its report on his death. In light of Saddam's wmd history, the Oil-for-Food scandal, and Iraqi attempts to conceal "its…
"'If you have forgotten Halabja, we are ready to repeat the operation,' Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri to the Kurds, reminding them of chemical attacks they suffered," writes the BBC in its report on his death. In light of Saddam's wmd history, the Oil-for-Food scandal, and Iraqi attempts to conceal "its…
The Nation's current editorial throws down the gauntlet against Democrats who refuse to support the speedy withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. The editors write: We will not support any candidate for national office who does not make a speedy end to the war in Iraq a major issue of his or her…
The Nation's current editorial throws down the gauntlet against Democrats who refuse to support the speedy withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. The editors write: We will not support any candidate for national office who does not make a speedy end to the war in Iraq a major issue of his or her…
Sen. John Kerry has released a press statement in response to Sen. McCain's speech on Iraq delivered today at the American Enterprise Institute. Kerry voted for the war but now says he regrets his vote. But his latest position on Iraq seems firm. Military historian Fredrick Kagan explains why Kerry…
Sen. John Kerry has released a press statement in response to Sen. McCain's speech on Iraq delivered today at the American Enterprise Institute. Kerry voted for the war but now says he regrets his vote. But his latest position on Iraq seems firm. Military historian Fredrick Kagan explains why Kerry…
Sen. John Kerry has released a press statement in response to Sen. McCain's speech on Iraq delivered today at the American Enterprise Institute. Kerry voted for the war but now says he regrets his vote. But his latest position on Iraq seems firm. Military historian Fredrick Kagan explains why Kerry…
Sen. John Kerry has released a press statement in response to Sen. McCain's speech on Iraq delivered today at the American Enterprise Institute. Kerry voted for the war but now says he regrets his vote. But his latest position on Iraq seems firm. Military historian Fredrick Kagan explains why Kerry…
Virginia's Governor Mark Warner would apparently like to replace the current president in the Oval Office. Next week he is traveling to New Hampshire on a wave of punditry that declared him one of the "biggest winners" of Tuesday's election. The Washington Post's E.J. Dionne and many others point…
Virginia's Governor Mark Warner would apparently like to replace the current president in the Oval Office. Next week he is traveling to New Hampshire on a wave of punditry that declared him one of the "biggest winners" of Tuesday's election. The Washington Post's E.J. Dionne and many others point…
Virginia's Governor Mark Warner would apparently like to replace the current president in the Oval Office. Next week he is traveling to New Hampshire on a wave of punditry that declared him one of the "biggest winners" of Tuesday's election. The Washington Post's E.J. Dionne and many others point…
Virginia's Governor Mark Warner would apparently like to replace the current president in the Oval Office. Next week he is traveling to New Hampshire on a wave of punditry that declared him one of the "biggest winners" of Tuesday's election. The Washington Post's E.J. Dionne and many others point…
Senator John McCain delivered this speech, "Winning the War in Iraq," today at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. Some highlights: McCain on … The Courage of the Iraqi People …[A]s we look on events there, let us not forget that the Iraqi people are in the midst of something…
Senator John McCain delivered this speech, "Winning the War in Iraq," today at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. Some highlights: McCain on … The Courage of the Iraqi People …[A]s we look on events there, let us not forget that the Iraqi people are in the midst of something…
Senator John McCain delivered this speech, "Winning the War in Iraq," today at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. Some highlights: McCain on … The Courage of the Iraqi People …[A]s we look on events there, let us not forget that the Iraqi people are in the midst of something…
Senator John McCain delivered this speech, "Winning the War in Iraq," today at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. Some highlights: McCain on … The Courage of the Iraqi People …[A]s we look on events there, let us not forget that the Iraqi people are in the midst of something…
Most Americans haven't heard of the International Republican Institute but for over 20 years IRI has helped advance democracy in the world. IRI has monitored elections in over 160 nations with little or no history in democracy -- and supports democracy efforts in many others. IRI recently sent a…
Ellen Bork, a frequent contributor to the Weekly Standard, emails: Donald Tsang, Beijing's man in Hong Kong, recently completed a pleasant visit to Washington where he faced little criticism over his (read: Beijing's) plan to tweak the process by which Beijing controls the executive and the…
The Bush administration is going on the offense, finally. But to add real punch to their effort they could use an effective advocate who is articulate on television, a first-rate debater, capable of absorbing large amounts of factual data, and not in government. Over a year ago, I attended a speech…
The Bush administration is going on the offense, finally. But to add real punch to their effort they could use an effective advocate who is articulate on television, a first-rate debater, capable of absorbing large amounts of factual data, and not in government. Over a year ago, I attended a speech…
Since the 2003 invasion, the failure of the military to secure the airport road has been one of the most reported stories of the war -- and rightly so. As Reuel Gerecht wrote a year ago in the Weekly Standard: The Bush administration ought to admit to itself two obvious facts. First, we are losing…
Since the 2003 invasion, the failure of the military to secure the airport road has been one of the most reported stories of the war -- and rightly so. As Reuel Gerecht wrote a year ago in the Weekly Standard: The Bush administration ought to admit to itself two obvious facts. First, we are losing…
Let's see. First, the cry of many anti-Bush liberals was that Bush officials "pressured" intelligence analysts to reach the judgments made in the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate. When that line of attack was torpedoed by two bi-partisan reports-- Silberman/Robb Commission: The…
On November 8, 1960, John F. Kennedy was elected President. He ran as a national security hawk and accused the Eisenhower-Nixon administration of conducting a reactive foreign policy in the face of Soviet adventurism. John F. Kennedy pledged to "assure the survival and the success of liberty" while…
Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas took to the Senate floor today to respond to critics of the Bush administration's use of Iraq pre-war intelligence. The speech may be found here. Some highlights: I wish to ask my colleagues, did President Clinton lie when he discussed the intelligence that…
Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas took to the Senate floor today to respond to critics of the Bush administration's use of Iraq pre-war intelligence. The speech may be found here. Some highlights: I wish to ask my colleagues, did President Clinton lie when he discussed the intelligence that…
A day doesn't seem to go by without Senator Levin spoon-feeding a story to the New York Times or the Washington Post that targets the Bush administration. The latest was Douglas Jehl's piece, "Report Warned Bush Team About Intelligence," in Sunday's New York Times (Steve Hayes challenges the…
A day doesn't seem to go by without Senator Levin spoon-feeding a story to the New York Times or the Washington Post that targets the Bush administration. The latest was Douglas Jehl's piece, "Report Warned Bush Team About Intelligence," in Sunday's New York Times (Steve Hayes challenges the…
Yesterday's parliamentary election in Azerbaijan "deteriorated progressively during the counting and, in particular, the tabulation of the votes," reported the OSCE, which monitored the election. Ballot counting was "bad or very bad in 43 per cent of counts observed" and election violations…
These and many other questions contained in the 9-11 Commission report remain unanswered. For example, page 66 of the report states: In March 1998, after Bin Ladin's public fatwa against the United States, two al Qaeda members reportedly went to Iraq to meet with Iraqi intelligence. In July, an…
These and many other questions contained in the 9-11 Commission report remain unanswered. For example, page 66 of the report states: In March 1998, after Bin Ladin's public fatwa against the United States, two al Qaeda members reportedly went to Iraq to meet with Iraqi intelligence. In July, an…
These and many other questions contained in the 9-11 Commission report remain unanswered. For example, page 66 of the report states: In March 1998, after Bin Ladin's public fatwa against the United States, two al Qaeda members reportedly went to Iraq to meet with Iraqi intelligence. In July, an…
In an upcoming Weekly Standard piece, Steve Hayes writes: For two years Senator Carl Levin of Michigan has led the Democratic assault on the credibility of Bush Administration's claim of an Iraq-al Qaeda connection. It is worth moment to examine his credibility on these same issues. In the months…
"The FBI has determined that financial gain, not an effort to influence U.S. policy, was behind the forged documents," reports the Associated Press. Of course, the FBI's finding doesn't fit into the conspiracy theory that's been creating a frenzy on some blog sites. But wait, the FBI must be in on…
"The FBI has determined that financial gain, not an effort to influence U.S. policy, was behind the forged documents," reports the Associated Press. Of course, the FBI's finding doesn't fit into the conspiracy theory that's been creating a frenzy on some blog sites. But wait, the FBI must be in on…
A November 24, 1997 Time magazine piece, "America the Vulnerable," stated that: officials in Washington are deeply worried about what some of them call "strategic crime." By that they mean the merging of the output from a government's arsenals, like Saddam's biological weapons, with a group of…
Venezuela's Chavez came to Argentina for the Summit of the Americas with big plans but no one seems to be listening except for the collection of leftists and anarchists chanting in the streets of Mar Del Plata. Chavez, who regularly claims Washington is trying to overthrow him, has said free trade…
The Weekly Standard's Michael Goldfarb writes: It used to be that I got to listen to BBC World Service as I rode into work every morning. No more. BBC has been displaced on WETA-FM by On Point, a show hosted by Tom Ashbrook with a pronounced tilt to the left even by NPR standards. The other…
The blog dealt with "sensitive subjects" like freedom and democracy. Beijing is also having a problem with too much democracy in its "village elections" nowadays.
A November 24, 1997 Time magazine piece, "America the Vulnerable," stated that: officials in Washington are deeply worried about what some of them call "strategic crime." By that they mean the merging of the output from a government's arsenals, like Saddam's biological weapons, with a group of…
A November 24, 1997 Time magazine piece, "America the Vulnerable," stated that: officials in Washington are deeply worried about what some of them call "strategic crime." By that they mean the merging of the output from a government's arsenals, like Saddam's biological weapons, with a group of…
Here and here explain.
From today's Los Angeles Times: "Business is better than previous years," said Saleh Abed, 34, a Baghdad clothing wholesaler. "Although there is terrorism and the country is going through a very rough time, there is some kind of stability. We have an army. We have police. We have a…
The Bull Moose writes: the Democrats should be careful that they are positioning themselves as a party that is gullible, feckless and indecisive on national security. It may provide immense partisan satisfaction to flummox the Republicans on a procedural maneuver, but beware of the long-term impact…
The Bull Moose writes: the Democrats should be careful that they are positioning themselves as a party that is gullible, feckless and indecisive on national security. It may provide immense partisan satisfaction to flummox the Republicans on a procedural maneuver, but beware of the long-term impact…
Within four or five years, [Iraq] could have the capability to threaten most of the Middle East and parts of Europe with missiles armed with nuclear weapons containing high-enriched uranium produced indigenously. Within that same period, it could threaten U.S. territory with nuclear weapons…
Well, Kenneth Pollack, former National Security Council official in the Clinton administration, commented in the January/February 2004 issue of The Atlantic Monthly on what U.S. intelligence believed regarding Iraq's nuclear program: The U.S. Intelligence Community's belief toward the end of the…
From Worldwide Standard, October 30, 2005: Surprise, Surprise: The NYT's Frank Rich Ignores Facts that Undermine His Conspiracy Theory For example, Rich writes: Murray Waas reported Thursday in The National Journal that Mr. Cheney and Mr. Libby had refused to provide the committee with ''crucial…
From Worldwide Standard, October 30, 2005: Surprise, Surprise: The NYT's Frank Rich Ignores Facts that Undermine His Conspiracy Theory For example, Rich writes: Murray Waas reported Thursday in The National Journal that Mr. Cheney and Mr. Libby had refused to provide the committee with ''crucial…
From the Worldwide Standard, October 28, 2005: Does the National Journal's "Exclusive" Piece on Pre-War Intelligence Distort the Public Record ? Yesterday, the National Journal publicized an "online exclusive" on the Bush administration's pre-war intelligence claims. Last night, Chris Matthews…
"How the CIA got the ball rolling on the Plame investigation."
Today's Washington Post has an article on a campaign to restrict military recruiting in Maryland public schools. The anti-military group Leave My Child Alone, based in San Francisco, is aiding the effort, particularly those in liberal Montgomery County, and the national PTA is getting into the act.…
-- "a kind of American fascism"
In the foreword to the just released "National Intelligence Strategy of the United States," the Director of National Intelligence says democracy promotion is the "stoutest pillar" in strengthening U.S. national security. And far from enhancing U.S. security, realist notions, where stability trumps…
For example, Rich writes: Murray Waas reported Thursday in The National Journal that Mr. Cheney and Mr. Libby had refused to provide the committee with ''crucial documents,'' including the Libby-written passages in early drafts of Colin Powell's notorious presentation of W.M.D. ''evidence'' to the…
Sunday's frontpage article by Elizabeth Bumiller and Eric Schmitt is a classic -- essentially an editorial masquerading as news. Naturally, Lawrence Wilkerson is quoted but only the nasty ones about "the cabal." His other remarks made in the same "cabal" speech aren't quoted. Guess they don't quite…
Gee, it must have been pure hell for Joe Wilson doing that glamorous photo spread in Vanity Fair
Yesterday, the National Journal publicized an "online exclusive" on the Bush administration's pre-war intelligence claims. Last night, Chris Matthews cited the Murray Waas piece and today its contents are pinging around the blogosphere. But the piece has one passage, in particular, that doesn't…
Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer has an excellent piece today on the "realism" of Brent Scowcroft. Even today Scowcroft says, ``I didn't think that calling the Soviet Union the `evil empire' got anybody anywhere.'' Tell that to Natan Sharansky and other Soviet dissidents for whom that…
In a letter to the Wall Street Journal a short time ago, the French ambassador to the US wrote, "Opposing a military intervention in Iraq at a time when U.N. inspections were working and Iraq was not an imminent threat to peace was a decision my country is proud of, one based on principles and…
Here is another example of bogus information on the issue of Iraqi attempts to purchase uranium from Niger that is circulating on liberal web sites that may make its way into some sloppily researched editorial. The web posting claims the following: It's [the British government's July 2004 review of…
Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, unleashed lots of vitriol in his Los Angeles Times piece yesterday, which was inspired, he says, by the speech have gave last week in Washington, DC. But what Wilkerson left out of his Times piece was the answer he gave…
Today, Senator Kerry called for the president to begin the withdrawal of troops from Iraq "over the course of the holidays." Military historian Fredrick Kagan explains why Kerry has it exactly wrong here, and Senator John McCain is expected to soon deliver an address on Iraq that will respond, in…
Yesterday, Democratic Senators Byrd, Kennedy and Leahy took to the Senate floor to honor the sacrifice US troops have made in Iraq by launching a broad assault on the Bush administration. Invoking Vietnam repeatedly, Vermont's Leahy offered the most detailed attack that touched on all the talking…
Senator John McCain today: I would hope that the sacrifice made by young Americans would not be used for political reasons…. I still believe they have sacrificed in a noble cause, and I believe that they and their family members, the majority of them, believe so as well…. But to somehow use the…
Weekly Standard contributor Dan Twining offers his insight on the push for democracy east of the Black Sea: In the new 'Great Game' underway in the Caucasus and Central Asia pitting the United States, Russia, and China in a bid for strategic influence and access to natural resources, not only…
In the latest New Yorker, Jeffrey Goldberg has a revealing profile of Brent Scowcroft in which the former national-security advisor defends his foreign policy "realism," which, Goldberg writes, holds that "America should be guided by strategic self-interest, and that moral considerations are…
Frequent contributor to the Weekly Standard Tom Joscelyn sends along this piece, "Report alleges rebels trained in Venezuela," from Sunday's Miami Herald: An Ecuadorean military intelligence report alleges that leftists from Ecuador and seven other Latin American nations received guerrilla training…
Saturday's Post ran this piece under the headline, "Hughes Misreports Iraqi History Envoy Vastly Overstates Fact in Justifying War to Indonesian Students." Unfortunately, such vigilance by the Washington Post to keep its readers well informed doesn't apply here or here or here. Of course, the Post…
Reuters France said on Monday it was too early to seek sanctions against Syria, whose officials have been implicated by a U.N. report in the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
Nowhere in Frank Rich's column yesterday or Bob Herbert's today will you find these comments made by Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, last week. He said that French and German intelligence believed what Powell presented to the UN was "the truth" and that…
USA Today reports that six months after announcing a plan to give $3 million to promote democracy in Iran, the State Department has yet to spend the money…. Tom Casey, a State Department spokesman, said the delay is bureaucratic. "There are no outside political considerations affecting these…
Today, on NBC's Meet the Press, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer of New York said that he did not regret having voted for the Iraq War resolution. Tim Russert: Based on what you now know today, do you regret having voted for the war? Sen. Schumer: Well, no, Tim, because my vote was seen and I still…
Yesterday, in an address at Tufts University, former UN inspection chief Hans Blix harshly criticized the Bush administration over Iraq and then added something quite interesting and very much at the heart of the debate over the March 2003 decision to remove Saddam from power. According to the…
But will the Security Council Act ?
The speech delivered yesterday by Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, got a lot of press attention. But while all these reports highlighted the negative remarks he made about the Bush White House, they didn't mention Wilkerson's other seemingly newsworthy…
The BBC has an interesting piece on China's "village elections." China's tough handling of recent protests by villagers in Taishi, southern Guangdong province, has thrown into fresh doubt its claims to be introducing genuine democracy "from the bottom up".
The media distortions and outright falsehoods just keep on coming. For example, the New York Daily News claims that Joe Wilson debunked a key claim in a speech by President Bush that Iraq sought nuclear materials in Africa…. When Wilson was sent by his wife to Africa to research the claims, he…
Here's what the chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell had to say yesterday at a Washington, DC think-tank: When you cut the bureaucracy out of your decisions and then foist your decisions on us out of the blue on that bureaucracy, you can't expect that bureaucracy to carry your…
William Kristol writes: Condoleezza Rice's testimony today could be a major step forward in the Administration's implementation of an Iraq victory strategy. It's certainly a major step forward in the presentation of that strategy -- as Gary Schmitt points out, the first comprehensive statement of a…
Commenting on Rice's testimony today, Gary Schmitt writes: This is the first comprehensive statement made by a senior administration official that lays out a sensible counterinsurgency strategy and accepts the fact that we will be deeply involved in the business of helping build a state. For that…
In testimony today before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary Rice outlined a bold strategy to "break the back" of the insurgency. She rejected largely Democratic calls (like the one delivered this morning on the Senate floor by Sen. Durbin of Illinois) to soon begin troop withdrawals…
"China has reacted angrily to a decision by the internet search engine Google to stop calling Taiwan a Chinese province," reports the BBC. Of course, the Google folks got off easy. In 1997, the Danish government sponsored a United Nations resolution calling attention to the poor human rights record…
The same Washington Post frontpage article that pushed the "imminent threat" myth today also reports the following: Before the war, he [Vice President Cheney] traveled to CIA headquarters for briefings, an unusual move that some critics interpreted as an effort to pressure intelligence officials…
In today's Washington Post, Jim VandeHei and Walter Pincus write, "Cheney, a longtime proponent of toppling Saddam Hussein, led the White House effort to build the case that Iraq was an imminent threat because it possessed a dangerous arsenal of weapons." This statement is not true and just one…
A Syrian national has been arrested in France in connection with the assassination of the former Prime Minister of Lebanon, Rafik al-Hariri, and this week a UN report is "expected to implicate Syrian officials in [the] assassination that plunged Lebanon into its worst security crisis since a…
Today's Financial Times reports on "a scathing denunciation of the US portal Yahoo for its role in helping Communist authorities to prosecute an independent-minded local journalist, jailed for 10 years for 'leaking state secrets.'"
Courtesy of The History Channel 1989 East Germany and Hungary move toward democracy On October 18, the Hungarian constitution was amended to allow a multiparty political system and free elections (which took place in 1990). Many of the state controls over the economy were removed and Hungary moved…
In a letter to the Wall Street Journal today, the French ambassador to the US writes, "Opposing a military intervention in Iraq at a time when U.N. inspections were working and Iraq was not an imminent threat to peace was a decision my country is proud of, one based on principles and shared by many…
In today's New York Times, the editors write, "Washington helped produce first, in January, a constituent assembly in which Sunni Arabs were drastically underrepresented…." Actually, the Sunnis boycotted the January election, so THEY are responsible for their current numbers in the assembly. Many…
During a news briefing in London today, Secretary Rice responded to those demanding a timetable for the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq: I just want to emphasize again the President's point is that when the Iraqis are ready, they'll be ready. Our goal is to provide the kind of support for Iraq…
On Meet the Press Sunday, Secretary Rice acknowledged that the Syrian government has apparently ignored the warning President Bush delivered in his recent speech at the National Endowment for Democracy. She stated: What we have focused on is getting a Syrian -- getting the Syrian regime to change…
As the Iranian government moves forward on its "peaceful" nuclear program, President Putin is there to lend a hand to help Tehran build better missiles and acquire enriched uranium.
Tom Joscelyn sends in the following: Upon reading Brzezinski's recent piece, I was reminded of a similar article he wrote for the New York Times on December 6, 1981 entitled: "What's Wrong With Reagan's Foreign Policy? In his first major statement since leaving office, President Carter's…
Maureen Dowd, New York Times, June 19, 1994 At the end of the day in Normandy, Bill Clinton walked down to the beach with three veterans of Omaha Beach -- Joe Dawson, Walter Ehlers and Robert Slaughter. The tableau was appealing: the young President enjoying the company of the aging heroes. But…
Last Sunday, Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security advisor to President Carter, wrote a harsh critique of the current president's foreign policy. Historian Victor Davis Hanson responds here. He notes the "unintended irony" that such criticism comes from a high official of an administration that…
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) has posted a translation of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani's endorsement of the constitutional referendum that will be voted on tomorrow. Sistani is Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric. Terrorists are also not pleased that "two prominent Sunni Arab…
The full text of the October 13, 2000 New York Times article may be found here. …The 1995 agreement allowed Moscow to fulfill existing sales contracts for specified weaponry, including a diesel submarine, torpedoes, anti- ship mines and hundreds of tanks and armored personnel carriers. But no…
The full text of the October 13, 2000 New York Times article may be found here. …The 1995 agreement allowed Moscow to fulfill existing sales contracts for specified weaponry, including a diesel submarine, torpedoes, anti- ship mines and hundreds of tanks and armored personnel carriers. But no…
Newsweek's Howard Fineman's latest piece, "The Conservative Crack-up," is an interesting read but it could use a bit more fact. Take, for example, his first line that it was "the 'neocons' who convinced him to go to war there [in Iraq]" as if no others supported the president's action. Fineman, of…
Soxblog.com's Dean Barnett comments on a recent speech delivered by Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (see Romney profile here) that "triggered a spasm of activity from America's grievance industry," including "the tolerant progressives at the Daily Kos." Appalled by Romney's insensitivity to…
Dan Darling, counter-terrorism consultant for the Manhattan Institute, writes on what the Ayman al-Zawahiri letter tells us about the enemy. He states: The letter does not suggest a man cut off from outside information ("More than half of this battle is taking place in the battlefield of the…
The full text of Ayman al-Zawahiri's letter to the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, may be found here.
Under the frontpage headline "Review Faults Pre-War Plans," USA Today reports on a CIA analysis completed in July of 2004, a portion of which has just been made public. Reading the article one gets the distinct impression that this latest CIA report is another attempt to put the agency in the best…
The Financial Times reports that "two of NATO's most respected retired generals will on Wednesday issue a stinging indictment of European military capabilities…and argue that European leaders have 'lacked the political will' to improve military capabilities." Of course, this indictment isn't a…
Looks like Ayman al-Zawahri hopes the Out of Iraq Caucus gets its way.
Secretary of State Rice is now in the midst of a trip that will take her to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and finally to Afghanistan. UPI reports that during a stopover in Ireland Rice said that "one of the elements of a strong and deep relationship with the United States these days is moving…
Today's New York Times reports on just how bad relations were between the head of the FBI and the counterterrorism chief. Settling a score, Louis J. Freeh, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation under President Bill Clinton and in the first six months of the Bush presidency, asserts in a…
A onetime terrorist now works on a new television show airing in the Middle East that directly challenges al Qaeda's claims of Quranic justification for their attacks. A few don't like it and want it taken off the air. Will they get their way?
Carter national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski pens a scathing op-ed in today's Los Angeles Times that is highly critical of the Bush administration's foreign policy. In the same pages, William Shawcross takes a different view. He writes: Thanks to the coalition Iraqis have more confidence in…
During the Reagan years, the Tory party was riding high with Margaret Thatcher at its helm. Today, as Irwin Stelzer writes in the current Weekly Standard, the party has seen its vote total sink from 14 million in 1992 to 9 million earlier this year. This decline is particularly galling to a party…
Michael Goldfarb on the Nobel winner: Mohamed El Baradei interpreted the Nobel Prize as a "strong message [from the Norwegian Nobel Committee] to keep doing what you are doing." So what has El Baradei been doing? After 6 months on the job, in May of 1998, both India and Pakistan conduct nuclear…
On Wednesday, the Senate overwhelmingly passed, 90-9, an amendment to the Defense spending bill that would "establish the Army Field Manual as the uniform standard for the interrogation of Department of Defense detainees." Opponents of the McCain amendment are expected to try to gut the…
Dan Twining writes in that China isn't the only big story in East Asia these days: China's rise in Asia is real, and is transforming Asia's strategic landscape. But breathless scholars and analysts already heralding a new political order in Asia centered on Chinese power and influence are missing…
Journalist Michael Yon's latest dispatch from Mosul, Iraq is a must read. Tactics based on faulty assumptions often backfire. The insurgents apparently were expecting that their strategy of targeting the police would make those who survived less committed. But the new cops were cut from stronger…
Is it pure coincidence that President Bush and Prime Minister Blair singled out Iran's terrorist activities on the same day? In his address, the president cited Iran's "long history of collaboration with terrorists" and stated that the U.S. "makes no distinction between those who commit acts of…
In his address today before the National Endowment for Democracy, the president made the case that "by standing for the hope and freedom of others, we make our own freedom more secure." Stanford professor Michael McFaul's The Liberty Doctrine, published in Policy Review, further explains why "the…
The Iranian regime adds a new twist to its rope-a-dope strategy employed against the U.S., EU and IAEA over its nuclear program. An official with the British Foreign Office says that Iranian-supplied weapons have been used to attack British forces in southern Iraq. The same official says that Iran…
Perhaps the Saudis could pay for this by spending less money on this.
Today, the Iraqi parliament did an about face on its recent rule change that would have made it more difficult to defeat the constitutional referendum on October 15. But even with this reversal, are Sunnis still likely to reject the constitution at the ballot box? Not necessarily, says one Iraqi…
The Post's Kennicott continues his coverage of the upcoming vote in yet another test of what Secretary Rice describes as "the forward march of democracy."
Yesterday, in an address to Marines at Camp Lejeune, Vice President Cheney stated that the lesson of the last two decades is not that the U.S. responded too aggressively to terrorist attacks but that it didn't "hit back hard enough." Although we've been in the struggle against terrorism for four…
The European Union has slapped an arms embargo on the authoritarian regime in Uzbekistan for its refusal to allow a legitimate investigation into the shooting of hundreds of protestors there last May. But Moscow will not honor it. Southwest of Uzbekistan, Moscow will not stop selling its nuclear…
The Democratic Leadership Council has released a statement on the Iraq war and rejected calls to begin withdrawing US troops from groups like the Center for American Progress and the "Out of Iraq" Democratic caucus in the House. Following such a course, the DLC writes, would "give the terrorists a…
The Washington Post's Jackie Spinner reports that the Syrian-Iraq border area serves as a key crossing point for foreign fighters entering Iraq from Syria. Hussain Ali Kamal, the head of intelligence for the Iraqi Interior Ministry, said in an interview Sunday that Syria had failed to keep promises…
Weekly Standard contributing editor Irwin Stelzer offers his thoughts on Prime Minister Blair's speech to Labour Party delegates last week: I have seen him leave a trade union conference in mid-session and head directly for the United States after September 11, and then stand with President Bush in…
Philip Kennicott has a piece in the Washington Post on the upcoming parliamentary election in Azerbaijan scheduled for November 6. With neighboring Georgia to the east and Iran to the south, the election is a critical test of whether the Bush administration's democracy promotion can establish…
The Secretary of State delivered a forceful address on "the forward march of democracy" during an event celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton.
Kosovo
"I WOULD ALSO ARGUE that if Saddam Hussein were left in power, weapons of mass destruction or no, he would be now, if he were in power, trying to acquire those weapons and use them. Eventually the sanctions were eroding," said Sen. John McCain on Fox News following the president's speech Tuesday at…
IT'S NOT EASY for Senator John Kerry these days. Having failed to capture the White House and facing the likely prospect of getting steamrolled by Hillary Clinton for the 2008 Democratic presidential nod, Kerry has been doing all he can to stay on the national radar screen. His latest tactic, on…
SPEAKING OF THE ONGOING BRUTALITY in Darfur, Senator Hillary Clinton recently told an audience at the Munich Conference on Security Policy that "We cannot say, 'Never again,' as it happens before our eyes." Since the 1994 Rwandan genocide where close to a million people were shot, hacked, and…
YESTERDAY, the Washington Post reported ("Search for Banned Arms In Iraq Ended Last Month") that the conclusions reached in Charles Duelfer's September 2004 report on Iraq's weapons programs will be the "final word" on the subject. The New York Times editorial board weighed in today. The Times…
WITH THE RELEASE of the Duelfer report on Iraq's weapons programs, now is a good time to review what role the international inspections had in verifying Iraq's disarmament--a role Senator Kerry and others appear to have confusion about. The inspection regime established by the U.N. Security Council…
WAS REMOVING Saddam Hussein from power a "diversion" from the war on terror, as Senator John Kerry now claims? Or was taking action against the Iraqi regime necessary in a post-September 11 world, as President Bush believes?
IN A SPEECH Monday at George Washington University, Senator Ted Kennedy accused the president of conducting an Iraq policy that has made it more likely that al Qaeda could launch a "nuclear 9/11." According to Kennedy, American military resources were needlessly diverted to the war in Iraq rather…
YESTERDAY, John Kerry repeated what has become a standard Kerry-Edwards campaign talking point: Saddam's Iraq had "no ties to al Qaeda," or, as Kerry recently told Time, Saddam Hussein had "nothing to do with al Qaeda."
OVER THE WEEKEND, comments made by Republican Senator Dick Lugar of Indiana concerning aspects of the Bush administration's post-Iraq policy received lots of media attention. But the senator has also commented on the Iraq speech John Kerry delivered yesterday before an audience at New York…
"Every time George Bush has had a choice, he has really chosen, I think, the wrong thing." --John Kerry, September 15, 2004 WHAT ABOUT some of John Kerry's foreign policy choices in the last two decades?
BEHIND THE STARTLING FLIP-FLOPS, beneath the gauzy rhetoric, what does John Kerry really think about foreign and defense policy? Ranging from his 1971 testimony on Vietnam to his current statements on Iraq and the war on terror, there's a lot to be said. But one good place to start, of course, is…
SENATOR JOHN KERRY told veterans at the American Legion convention in Nashville today that America is engaged in a "global war on terror against an enemy unlike any we have known before." But last January he called the threat from this same enemy an "exaggeration."
With the release of the September 11 Commission report, some media outlets may ignore or mischaracterize the fact that the report offers more confirmation of Iraq-al Qaeda ties. It is especially noteworthy, however, that the previous staff report's finding of no "collaborative relationship" between…
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT Al Gore recently told an audience that "the [Bush] administration did not hesitate to heighten and distort public fear of terrorism after September 11th, to create a political case for attacking Iraq." With this in mind, I would to like draw your attention to a Project brief…
UPDATE, 10/4/04: During last week's debate, voters caught a few glimpses into how Kerry would conduct foreign policy. One came on an issue that had, until then, garnered scant media attention: the advisability of moving ahead with research on a low-yield nuclear deep-earth penetrating weapon to hit…
WITH THE OPENING of the 108th Congress earlier this month, Democrat Evan Bayh, Indiana's junior senator, was rather busy. He held a press conference with Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, urging Congress to speed up the elimination of the marriage penalty tax. While fellow Democratic…
Alexandria, Va.
I am an avid hockey fan--and also a great admirer of Ronald Reagan. As I watch the Stanley Cup playoffs this year, I can't help noticing the influence Reagan has had on the National Hockey League. Just look at some of the names playing in the NHL.
I am an avid hockey fan--and also a great admirer of Ronald Reagan. As I watch the Stanley Cup playoffs this year, I can't help noticing the influence Reagan has had on the National Hockey League. Just look at some of the names playing in the NHL.