tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54258432011-04-21T18:50:21.214-07:00Dissolving SolidsCommentary on the present and future of culture, politics, economics, and social values...................
"At any given instant/All solids dissolve, no wheels revolve,/And facts have no endurance." W.H. Auden.
Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1451100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1162563472812123062006-11-03T06:13:00.000-08:002006-11-03T11:29:56.220-08:00The Election SurpriseEvery election brings its surprise. For the election of November 7, we predict that the big surprise will be that the pre-election polls were wildly inaccurate and that the results of the election will be what no one forecast.Afterwards, there will be time to reflect on the reasons the polls were so wrong.Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1162479815478361872006-11-02T06:54:00.000-08:002006-11-02T07:07:23.973-08:00Ambiguity in US-North Korean NegotiationsNow we learn that the US and North Korea will negotiate with one another. This goal was what prompted Kim to explode his nuclear bomb, so we have to accept that Kim has won: he has forced the US into direct negotiations, even though the Bush Administration has said it would not negotiate.But there is a more compelling issue here. . .There is a deep ambiguity in the position of each government. Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1161281255665771422006-10-19T10:42:00.000-07:002006-10-19T11:12:11.420-07:00Pakistan's FragilityThe most dangerous situation in the world today is not North Korea, Iraq, Palestine, or Iran. It is the coming collapse of Pakistan.The instability of Pakistan is related to its large and growing population (over 170 million), its fractured ethnic composition, its low stage of economic development, the high level of poverty among its people, and the presence of several active fundamentalist Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1161271149617401122006-10-19T08:13:00.000-07:002006-10-19T08:19:09.633-07:00Hanging on a CrossIt is now reported that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) routinely wears a cross on a chain around her neck.That is supposed to attract voters, presumably (except for Jewish, Muslim, Buddist, Hindu, and Wiccan voters). Well, it will keep vampires away.Hang your hopes on a cross!Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1116854981100307842005-05-23T06:18:00.000-07:002005-05-23T06:29:41.106-07:00Why is Rumsfeld Still in Office?Any reasonable person has to ask why Donald Rumsfeld has not been fired from his position as Secretary of Defense. He is the worst Secretary in the history of the Defense Department. He has immersed the US in a quagmire in Iraq, despite the many warnings before the invasion of Iraq that this would happen. Iraq is in chaos, and the US military seems incapable ofMarco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1112363552045275262005-04-01T05:46:00.000-08:002005-04-01T05:52:32.046-08:00Oil Price SpikeSo, Goldman Sachs has predicted that the price of oil will reach $105 a barrel. That report was enough to bring a spike in oil prices yesterday, over $56 a barrel.Actually, some time ago we forecast that the price of oil will rise to to $100 a barrel in the short term! Good to see Goldman Sachs tagging along after us.In the longer term look for oil to rise to $200 a barrel. As Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1111673953658667802005-03-24T06:15:00.000-08:002005-03-24T06:20:37.610-08:00US Imperial Proconsul and TriumphalismCondoleezza Rice has been touring the world not as US secretary of state but as the proconsul of the new US empire. Hers has been a tour of US triumphalism. When she was not being a clotheshorese, she engaged in scolding, condescending, accusing, denouncing, and saber rattling.Are we tired of her yet?Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1111502552598110622005-03-22T06:38:00.000-08:002005-03-22T06:42:32.600-08:00Schiavo Case and Culture WarLook how quickly the case of Terri Schiavo has been transformed into a battle in the culture war dividing the US. That transformation is a result of the combined efforts of the media, politicians, clergy, lawyers, judges, and the "talking heads" who preside over television network fare.In all this racket, the best interests of Terri Schiavo are being ignored. Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1111155628019805072005-03-18T06:16:00.000-08:002005-03-18T06:20:28.023-08:00The Price of OilThe news media reported that yesterday the price of oil rose above $56 a barrel, the highest price in history. There seemed to be little public reaction. This ho-hum response shows why the price will continue to rise. Unless the public gets up in arms over the rising price, makes political protests, and begins self-rationing, the price will continue to climb.As long as the Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1110550390300328662005-03-11T06:02:00.000-08:002005-03-11T14:21:52.350-08:00Mine Is Bigger Than Yours!In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee yesterday, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld made the following comparison in justification of his policies: The world has seen, in the last 3 1/2 years, the capability of the UnitedStates of America to go into Afghanistan . . . and with 20,000, 15,000troops working with the Afghans do what 200,000 Soviets Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1110499930268807412005-03-10T16:03:00.000-08:002005-03-10T16:12:10.270-08:00Suck It Up, Condee! You Are Not In Charge Anyway.Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice managed to avoid having John Bolton named Deputy Secretary of State. But she ended up with him being named ambassador to the United Nations, a far more powerful post, probably the second most important post in the US foreign policy establishment.The Bush Administration managed to flip the finger at a number of Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1109860307279184882005-03-03T06:23:00.000-08:002005-03-03T13:15:10.043-08:00Just When We Thought Things Can't Get Worse...Reports are that the top candidates the Bush Administration is pushing for the position of president of the World Bank are Carly Fiorina and Paul Wolfowitz.Who said things can't get worse?Carly Fiorina was a failure as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard and had to be dumped by the corporation's board after doing years of stunning damage to the companyMarco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1109859727715991242005-03-03T06:12:00.000-08:002005-03-03T06:22:07.716-08:00Nothing Succeeds Like Failure: the ParadoxThe paradox in Washington these days is that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's power is increasing as the war in Iraq fails. Is this an example of the old axiom twisted: nothing succeeds like failure?Rumsfeld is more powerful now than he was just beore the Iraq war started. Part of this change is explained by the departure of impediments to his Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1109601743590432202005-02-28T06:39:00.000-08:002005-02-28T06:42:23.593-08:00News Media and the 2008 Presidential CampaignHas it occurred to you how the news media are enthusiastically, gleefully, and tirelessly pushing the candidacy of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) for president in the 2008 election? The media are still trying to select the candidates and the president for the country. Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1109340229363203912005-02-25T05:54:00.000-08:002005-02-25T06:03:49.366-08:00Israel Losing SupportSince its founding in 1948, Israel has gotten unquestioned support from countries and people around the world. That is changing, as sympathy for the Palestinians grows. The latest sign is from the World Council of Churches. From its headquarters in Geneva, the WCC has recommended to all its members that they seriously consider divesting from companies that aid Israel in Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1108735647743054972005-02-18T05:54:00.000-08:002005-02-18T06:07:27.746-08:00The Negroponte FactorPresident Bush has appointed John Negroponte as intelligence czar, a position created by the movement to reform and improve US intelligence gathering, production, and distribution. Senate confirmation seems assured.Those who praise the appointment will stress Amassador Negroponte's forty years of service in the State Department with assignments worldwide, including his Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1108649636774184682005-02-17T06:06:00.000-08:002005-02-17T06:15:41.953-08:00General ConfessionIt was a first in US experience! Remember it!Jason Giambi, overpaid Yankee baseball star, held a press conference in which he apologized but never said what it was he was apologizing for! Nor were reporters able to pry out of him what he had done wrong that required such an apology.Look for Jason to have set a new trend. Public figures in the US can now apologize in public but Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1108562837623052522005-02-16T06:00:00.000-08:002005-02-16T06:09:46.540-08:00The US as a ScoldThe US government has withdrawn its ambassadors to Nepal and Syria in a snit. And, in explanation of these actions, has issued some huffy comments to those two governments.Is the US entering a time when its foreign policy will be essentially scolding other governments, expressing outrage, shaking fingers of accusation, and denouncing? The answer is YES. It is a fulfillment of theMarco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1108140218100016622005-02-11T08:32:00.000-08:002005-02-11T08:45:29.063-08:00Hewlett Packard SinkingSo, Carly Fiorina has been pushed out as the boss of Hewlett Packard.Sorry to say "we told you so." But we did. When she was appointed we said it was a mistake. When she negotiated the purchase of Compaq in 2002, we advised everyone who owned shares in the company to sell them STAT. Buying Compaq was the wrong choice and indicated Carly did not know what she was doing. Old Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1107958034043431672005-02-09T06:02:00.000-08:002005-02-09T06:07:14.043-08:00A Side of Rice
Have you been watching the whirlwind first-time tour of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice?
Did it occur to you that she and Senator Hillary Clinton are much alike? Both are ideologues, cold, arrogant, self-important, condescending, self-righteous, and preachy.
Those who foresee a presidential election contest between these two in 2008 are warning us against nightmares!
Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1107455497904927412005-02-03T10:23:00.000-08:002005-02-03T10:34:46.453-08:00Se habla espanol!
Senator Mel Martinez (D-FL) gave his maiden speech in the US Senate yesterday. Part of his speech was in Spanish, the language of his Cuban-American Miami-area community. It was the first time that any US senator has spoken in the chamber in a language other than English.
But it won't be the last. See this speech as a forecast of the future. Spanish is already the second Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1107266149162838982005-02-01T05:50:00.001-08:002005-02-18T06:09:25.053-08:00Intelligence CzarWe understand that Robert Gates was offered the job of director of national intelligence and turned it down. This is the new position mandated by the post 9/11 frenzy over intelligence lapses.Gates, currently president of Texas A&M, was Director of Central Intelligence under President George H. W. Bush. Has it ever occurred to you that people who serve in appointed positions in Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1107266378521539222005-02-01T05:50:00.000-08:002005-02-01T05:59:38.523-08:00Hillary Swoons
So, Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) fainted while trying to give a speech in New York.
Did it seem to you that the explanations claiming that the fainting was nothing serious came too fast and too much, an over-eager flood of diversion?
The problem is that as politics has become a cesspool of lies and spin, one is tempted to believe no quick explanation.
Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1107005252853957962005-01-29T05:22:00.000-08:002005-01-31T06:11:43.753-08:00Luck of the GOP
Look at the luck of the Republican Party:
Howard Dean is likely to become chair of the Democratic National CommitteeSenator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) has become, in the public eye, the poster child of the Democratic PartySenator Hilary Clinton (D-NY) is "softening" on abortionSenator John Kerry plans to be the Democratic presidential nominee in 2008Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is the minorty Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1106835928122312752005-01-27T06:21:00.000-08:002005-01-27T06:25:28.123-08:00Byrd in Flight
It was an astounding sight! Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV), a one-time grand kleagle in the Ku Klux Klan, stood in the US Senate to rail against Dr. Condoleezza Rice, a black woman, who was nominated to be secretary of state.
In the good old days, Byrd would have worn a sheet and urged a lynching. In these modern times, he just fulminates. That is progress!
Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1106748599874258312005-01-26T06:03:00.000-08:002005-01-26T06:09:59.873-08:00EXPELLING THE US FROM IRAQ
Iraqi elections will be held on January 30. The immediate issue facing the new government of Iraq after the elections will be how quickly to expel the US from Iraq.
That the new government will invite the US to leave is certain. Since it will be a majority Shiite government, it will have to win support from the Sunis and from the insurrectionists/terrorists in orderMarco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1106578387018723722005-01-24T06:42:00.000-08:002005-01-24T06:53:07.016-08:00Kerry Dancing
There is an old Irish song: "Oh, the days of the Kerry dancing...."
The song applies to Senator John Kerry (D-MA), even though he is not Irish (he claims he is, of course, for purposes of running for office in Boston).
Back in Washington, still bitter from his defeat and uncomprehending of the reasons, he is trying to assert his position as shadow president with the aim of Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1105977692162690942005-01-17T07:53:00.000-08:002005-01-17T08:01:32.163-08:00Ted Kennedy Babbling
Reporters asked Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) about any lessons learned from the victory of Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) in the November elections. Here is Kennedy's answer:
"Why don't we ask Osama bin -- Osama Obama -- Obama what -- since he won by such a big amount."
Is this man babbling? Is his mouth connected to his brain? (The frightening thought is that it MAY be!)Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1105836764969441632005-01-15T16:48:00.000-08:002005-01-15T16:52:44.970-08:00Prince Harry in Uniform
London's tabloid, The Sun, splashed the picture of Prince Harry around the country and the world. There he was in Nazi regalia. The third in line to the British throne wearing a swastika armband and Afrika Corps uniform.
So, we recommend he go on the TLC television show, What Not to Wear. That could improve the ratings of the show and the prince.
In any case, his Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1105713206825908612005-01-14T06:28:00.000-08:002005-01-14T06:33:26.826-08:00Romney and the Presidency
It is clear that Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney plans to run for president in 2008.
This forecast is not based on his following in his father's footsteps. Nor on his being a red-state governor of a blue state.
No, the sure sign is that he is proposing that the legislature adopt the death penalty. The death penalty establishes the hard-line bona fides that a Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1105480137419588142005-01-11T13:39:00.000-08:002005-01-11T13:48:57.420-08:00Chertoff and Civil Liberties
So, President Bush has chosen as Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, a judge of the US Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
It is not his judgeship that defines him. It is that he ranked third in the Ashcroft Justice Department. In that position he showed a notable impatience with the Bill of Rights as he crafted the hardline reponse to 9/11. He was Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1105458741468549102005-01-11T07:38:00.000-08:002005-01-11T07:52:21.466-08:00Rather: the Functional Equivalent of Being Fired
The report is out on the CBS News debacle over President Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard. Some firings are the result, but they are limited. The president of CBS News, Andrew Heyward, and Dan Rather have survived. Many people think saving these two damages the integrity of CBS News even more than the original story did. (See httpMarco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1105411002397649452005-01-10T18:25:00.001-08:002005-01-10T18:41:45.186-08:00Sudan: Peace without Justice
There is rejoicing around the world over the signing of the Naivasha Protocols in Narobi that are intended to bring to an end twenty years of war in southern Sudan.
But don't rejoice too soon. The agreement, even if it were to work as written, will lead to peace in Sudan, but not justice. There are no provisions for bringing the perpetrators of the genocide to Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1105411008536521642005-01-10T18:25:00.000-08:002005-01-10T18:40:49.693-08:00Sudan: Peace without Justice
There is rejoicing around the world over the signing of the Naivasha Protocols in Narobi that are intended to bring to an end twenty years of war in southern Sudan.
But don't rejoice too soon. The agreement, even if it were to work as written, will lead to peace in Sudan, but not justice. There are no provisions for bringing the perpetrators of the genocide to Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1105108285929660782005-01-07T06:16:00.000-08:002005-01-07T06:31:25.930-08:00Outsourcing Torture
It's called "rendition." And it is practiced by the US government.
It is, of course, a word worthy of Orwell's lexicon, a word meant to conceal rather than communicate. It is a slick substitute for "outsourcing torture."
Government agencies - including the CIA - are allowed to send detainees to other countires for interrogation. The countries selected have no bothersome Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1105020929382896312005-01-06T06:07:00.000-08:002005-01-06T06:15:29.383-08:00NO to Gonzales
The US Senate Judiciary Committe wil soon hold hearings on the appointment of Alberto Gonzales to be Attorney General. The committe should say NO to this appointment.
Gonzales was the White House counsel who penned a memo supporting torture for those accused of terrorism. His justification for that memo reads like a a farce:
He says that after the attacks of September 11, Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1104497663431270952004-12-31T04:47:00.000-08:002004-12-31T04:54:23.430-08:00Tsunami Deaths
Have you noticed how the media feature the death of Western and US tourists in the tsunami disaster while shuffling off the deaths of indigenous peoples with a few estimates of numbers? Britain's Guardian has a commentary on this point:
The tsunami struck resorts where westerners were on holiday. For
the western media, it was clear that their lives have a different order of
Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1104414615331293572004-12-30T05:42:00.000-08:002004-12-30T05:50:15.330-08:00Political Purge of CIA Continues
Now Porter Goss, Director of Central Intelligence, has dumped the Deputy Director for Intelligence. Don't be fooled into thinking that the purpose of this move is to improve intelligence gathering and distribution. No, it is to fulfill the aim to politicize intelligence!
Every move that Goss has made - and will make - is designed only for the purpose of seeingMarco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1104242762650656802004-12-28T05:57:00.000-08:002004-12-28T06:06:02.650-08:00Iraq Election Fizzle
Another sign has appeared to warn that the proposed January 30 election in Iraq will not be held. The majority Sunni party has declared that it will not participate in the election:
Iraq's largest mainstream Sunni Muslim party pulled out of the election
race yesterday, saying the violence plaguing areas north and west of Baghdad
made a "free and fair vote" on January 30 Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1104155731751343332004-12-27T05:44:00.000-08:002004-12-27T05:55:31.750-08:00Iraq and Group Democracy
Britain's Guardian reports an interesting change in the strategy of the Bush Administration in the upcomning Iraqi elections:
The Bush administration is considering reserving a few high-level posts in
the next Iraqi government for Sunni Muslims, regardless of how well they fare in
next month's elections, for fear that their exclusion could prolong the
country's militaryMarco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1103894486253924832004-12-24T05:11:00.000-08:002004-12-24T05:21:26.253-08:00RUMSFELD VISITS IRAQ
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld visited Iraq today. The stated purpose of his visit was to look at the military situation and to bring Christmas geetings to the US troops stationed there.
But make no mistake: the REAL purpose of the visit was that Rumsfeld is trying to save his job. He gave a good speech and seemed to connect with the troops he addressed. But the Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1103277788378443592004-12-17T01:49:00.000-08:002004-12-17T02:03:08.380-08:00RUMSFELD'S DECLINE
The career of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is on the downward trajectory. Like a falling star or an aging Hollywood starlet. Look for him to be gone from the Washington scene soon.
The problem is that no amount of smooth talking and pie-sky lingo can conceal the fact that the war in Iraq is going badly. And the failure is Rumsfeld's. He has led the world's Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1103039685126839602004-12-14T07:50:00.000-08:002004-12-14T07:54:45.126-08:00McCAIN ON RUMSFELD
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has given his verdict on Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. It is "no confidence."
This publicly-stated judgment is important because McCain is not just a senator. He is, to many people, currently a parallel president and a likely Republican nominee for president in 2008.
McCain's verdict may be the opening of the movement that will soon Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1102962519086328712004-12-13T10:23:00.000-08:002004-12-13T10:28:39.086-08:00DWINDLING CHANCES FOR IRAQ JANUARY ELECTION
Prsident Bush and the Iraqi interim government insist that everything is nicely on track for Iraq to have elections on January 30. But a story in The Washington Post tells us why this hope is completely unrealistic:
...Six weeks before the historic vote, a U.S. official said, fewer
than 1 percent of eligible Iraqis have responded to a Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1102729119725030652004-12-10T17:34:00.000-08:002004-12-10T17:38:39.726-08:00NEW RECRUITING SLOGAN FOR THE ARMY
Forget "Be All You Can Be." Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has come up with a new army recruting slogan: "You go to war with the army you have."
That is what he told US troops in Kuwait as they complained about the lack of body armor and vehicle armor for the Iraq war.
Too bad these guys did not know that when they enlisted. Too bad Rumsfeld did not Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1102728812480560782004-12-10T17:27:00.000-08:002004-12-10T17:33:32.480-08:00MR. SNOW AND SELF-RESPECT
President Bush has announced that he wants Secretary of the Treasury John Snow to stay on for the second term. But for ten days Snow was left hanging out on a limb of humiliation as members of the White House publicly dissed him, as it was made clear the President was trying to find someone better for the job, and as the job was actually offered to a Wall Street guy, Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1102689288286727752004-12-10T06:24:00.000-08:002004-12-10T06:34:48.286-08:00RED NATIONS AND BLUE NATIONS
The recent elections introduced the red state/blue state dichotomy into US politics. Look now for the development of the red nation/blue nation dichotomy as culture wars become the major issue in international relations, assuring disharmony among nations.
The opening issue in the global culture war will be that of gay marriage. As Toronto's Globe and Mail reportsMarco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1102619443671541042004-12-09T11:05:00.000-08:002004-12-09T11:10:43.670-08:00IT'S ONLY TAXPAYERS' MONEY
Congress has sent a spending bill for $388 billion to President Bush, and he has signed it. That figure covers the cost of all federal agencies except the two big ones, the Pentagon and Homeland Security. So, the actual figure for fiscal year 2005 will be higher! The pigs are oinking!
What ever happened to the promises of smaller government, less federal spending, Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1102332768859518782004-12-06T03:26:00.000-08:002004-12-06T03:32:48.860-08:00PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF ON IRAQ
Listen to Pakistan's President Musharraf on Iraq. He is a realist who is speaking his mind and telling the US what it needs to hear:
The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was a mistake that has made the world a more
dangerous place, but a swift withdrawal would make matters worse, Pakistan's
president said this weekend."I think it's less safe," Gen. Pervez Musharraf
said Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1102331995683959522004-12-06T03:12:00.000-08:002004-12-06T03:19:55.683-08:00VIOLENCE INTENSIFIES IN IRAQ
Britain's Guardian reports on the increasing level of violence in Iraq:
Insurgents in Iraq mounted a third straight day of serious attacks yesterday,
killing 17 people when they opened fire on buses delivering workers to an
ordnance disposal site.
At least 70 Iraqis, many of them members of the
police and security forces, have been killed since Friday in attacks Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1102302210027336662004-12-05T18:54:00.000-08:002004-12-05T19:03:30.026-08:00BUSH AND INTELLIGENCE REFORM BILL
We predicted that a surprise is awaiting President Bush: the oppostion of conservative Republicans to his second-term agenda.
A story in today's New York Times reports on this matter. It describes the opposition that the president is getting from congressional conservative Republicans over the intelligence reform bill. The report actually sees a "Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1102087599295880122004-12-03T07:20:00.000-08:002004-12-03T07:26:39.296-08:00ALICIA MARKOVA, R.I.P.
In a world disfigured by war, conflict, and betrayal, it is right to pause at the death of Alicia Markova and let ourselves be reminded that grace, beauty, and style are present in our midst.
Alicia Markova was the world's best ballerina in the formal and classic style of ballet. She lived to be 94 years old, giving us many years of herself. When she danced, she broughtMarco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1102024816553813272004-12-02T13:48:00.000-08:002004-12-02T14:00:16.553-08:00MORE US TROOPS TO IRAQ
Do you remember Ross Perot in the election of 1992 warning us that we will soon be hearing "a giant sucking sound"? Well, we are hearing it, but it is the sound of the US military being sucked deeper and deeper into Iraq.
In its story, "US Troop Level in Iraq to Grow," The Washington Post reports that
The Pentagon said yesterday that it will boost the number of U.S. Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1102023321778792612004-12-02T13:22:00.000-08:002004-12-02T13:35:21.776-08:00STORY OF PLANNED BUSH ASSASSINATION BOGUSThere were reports from the Colombian Minister of Defense that FARC, the guerrilla group, planned to assassinate President Bush during his three-hour stopover in Cartagena, Colombia.It is now clear that this report was bogus. It may have been the brainstorm of the government of President Uribe to assure continued US interest in aiding Colombia in its Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1102001127204133442004-12-02T07:15:00.000-08:002004-12-02T07:25:27.206-08:00ABSENT SENATORS
New Jersey's US Senator Jon Corzine plans to run for the governorship of New Jersey in the upcoming election. Being chief executive in Trenton is a better route to the White House than being a Senator. But that is down the road. The first step is to be become Governor Corzine.
He has indicated that he will not resign his senate seat to run for governor. This decision Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1101955837882313062004-12-01T18:41:00.000-08:002004-12-01T18:50:37.883-08:00BUSH MIS-READS MANDATE
During his current trip to Canada, President Bush ashowed that he does not understand the mandate of the recent presidential election.
During a speech in Ottawa, he spoke in defense of his foreign policy, and made the following claim:
We just had a poll in our country where people decided that the foreign policy of the
Bush administration ought to stay in place for Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1101855307781874762004-11-30T14:39:00.000-08:002004-11-30T14:55:07.790-08:00REPLACING RATHER
The rumor mills are working, producing many a name as possible replacement for Dan Rather as the anchor on the network evening news. Most of the names are the CBS drones, too familiar, hoping to work their way up the corporate totem poll (YAWN!). Drones just drone.
One name being passed around CBS headquarters is that of Tim Russert, host of "Meet the Press." Interesting Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1101828856567383942004-11-30T07:22:00.000-08:002004-11-30T07:34:16.566-08:00PURGING THE CIA
Read the article by David Ignatius: "The Langley Lobotomy." It is the best reporting and analysis of the purge going on at the CIA. Here is the gist of the author's point:
It's crazy for a nation at war to be purging its spies. But that's what has
been happening in the weeks since former representative Porter Goss (R-Fla.) and
a phalanx of conservative congressional aides took Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1101672908608216922004-11-28T13:04:00.000-08:002004-11-28T12:15:08.606-08:00POSTPONING IRAQ'S ELECTIONS
Iraq's elections for the National Assembly are scehduled for January 30. In the face of the country's disorder and violence, there is a question of whether the elections will be postponed.
The point is this: If the elections are postponed, that will be a victory for the terrorists. The terrorists understand that and will do all in their power to create more turmoilMarco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1101553105517870892004-11-27T02:50:00.000-08:002004-11-27T02:58:25.516-08:00BUSH TELEGRAPHING ISRAEL'S PUNCH?
Did President Bush let slip that Israel will bomb Iran's nuclear facilities to stop it from developonmg nuclear weapons? This story in The New York Sun carries that implication: "Bush Hints at Israeli Role in Iranian Atom Bomb." It claims that
At a dinner party two weeks before the election, President Bush agreed that a
second-term flashpoint would likely Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1101552114382368182004-11-27T02:29:00.000-08:002004-11-27T02:41:54.383-08:00BUSH AND NORTHERN IRELAND
An interesting move in the talks to bring a final peace settlement to Northern Ireland. The talks now focus on admitting Sinn Fein to power sharing in the government of Northern Ireland, a move the DUP, the main Protestant party, opposes on the grounds that Sinn Fein is the political wing of the IRA. The DUP does not want alleged "terrorists" in the govrenment.
At a Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1101473056563686642004-11-26T04:35:00.000-08:002004-11-26T04:44:16.563-08:00CHINA'S EYE ON CANADA
For some time we have been watching China move in on Latin America to extend its economic reach and assure itself of a supply of needed resources.
Now China is making a move on Canada. Toronto's Globe and Mail reports on that move in "China in Talks to Buy Calgary Oil Giant." China wants to but Husky Energy, a Canadian oil and gas giant, to assure supplies of oil for itsMarco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1101376870132108672004-11-25T01:51:00.000-08:002004-11-25T02:01:10.133-08:00UKRAINE AND THE VELVET REVOLUTION
The events surrounding the presidential election in Ukraine are becoming more and more important. At stake is whether Ukraine will be oriented towards Russia or towards Europe.
In an essay titled "Freedom's Front Line," Tomothy Garten Ash, an expert on contemporary European affairs, points out another important feature of the conflict. It is whether Ukraine Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1101297362695554392004-11-24T03:52:00.000-08:002004-11-24T03:56:02.696-08:00BLOGGERS vs. MR. RATHER: PAJAMAS vs. SUITS
Did the Internet bloggers defeat Dan Rather? See this piece in The New York Post.
We will probably remember 2004 as the year in which the Interet surpassed the old television networks (CBS, NBC, and ABC) as the main source of news for US voters.
Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1101296185156654512004-11-24T03:29:00.000-08:002004-11-24T03:36:25.156-08:00TARGET: NORTH KOREA
President Bush has identified the "axis of evil" as the source of trouble in the world today: Iraq, Iran, North Korea. The US has invaded Iraq and is now threatening Iran. Will it also threaten North Korea?
The neocons in the US government hope so. As the Asia Times reports,
The US foreign policy hawks who pushed for the Iraq invasion are now pushing President George W Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1101248280349232132004-11-23T14:09:00.000-08:002004-11-23T14:18:00.350-08:00IT'S RATHER LATE
So, Dan Rather has announced that he is leaving his job as anchor of the CBS evening news program. But, like Tom Brokaw at NBC, he plans to hang on for a long time between his announcement and his departure. The reluctant departure, both!
The decision was inevitable. After the debacle of "Sixty Minutes" and the forged documents accusing President Bush, Rather was finished. Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1101226593725473582004-11-23T08:08:00.000-08:002004-11-24T03:38:10.206-08:00IS BUSH A LAME DUCK?
The intelligence reform bill failed to get approval by the House of Representatives, even though President Bush favored it and, he alleges, lobbied for it. And the Republicans have a majority in the House!
Interestingly the opposition to the bill's passage came not from Democrats but from Republicans. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld opposed it, as did the Republican chairmen Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1101147501066805862004-11-22T10:04:00.000-08:002004-11-22T10:20:40.536-08:00US TROOP REDUCTION
Watch for the development of a major policy debate in the US over the reduction of military forces in Iraq.
The surprise will be that the Pentagon hawks and neocons who championed the US intervention in Iraq will now argue for the downsizing of the US military presence in that country:
A growing number of national security specialists who supported the
toppling of Saddam Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1101037466947043542004-11-21T03:37:00.000-08:002004-11-21T03:44:26.946-08:00PENTAGON HAWKS FLYING
As we have posted several times, there are signs that the neo-con hawks in the Pentagon are gearing up for a showdown with Iran over its nuclear program. Now Britain's Guardian has picked up on this developing story:
Pentagon hawks have begun discussing military action against Iran to
neutralise its nuclear weapons threat, including possible strikes on leadership,
Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100964207634958392004-11-20T07:15:00.000-08:002004-11-20T07:23:27.636-08:00DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST BUSH
The public demonstrations currently being held against President Bush and his Iraq policy in Santiago, Chile during the APEC Forum are a forecast of a wave of demonstrations that will follow him anywhere he travels in the world.
The worry that similar demonstrations will geet him when he tavels to Canada later in November is voiced by Toronto's Globe and Mail in the Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100960577979412432004-11-20T06:12:00.000-08:002004-11-20T06:22:57.980-08:00MUSLIM CONFLICT COMING IN GERMANY
All eyes are on the conflict in the Netherlands involving the Muslim community there. But the conflict may be emerging more threateningly in Germany, where there is also a large Muslim population.
Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports on statements made by Annette Schavan, cultural affairs minister in the government of the state of Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100959103823624552004-11-20T05:49:00.000-08:002004-11-20T05:58:23.823-08:00CHINA CHALLENGES US IN LATIN AMERICA
We have been warning that the US dominance in Latin America is being challenged by China while the US is preoccupied in the Middle East. The Monroe Doctrine has for over 150 years claimed Latin America as a US sphere of influence. Expect the Monroe Doctrine to be challenged in the 21st century.
Now The New York Times has picked up on the Chinese push Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100947134892874012004-11-20T02:32:00.000-08:002004-11-20T02:41:04.970-08:00US ANTI-TERRORISM: IS THAILAND NEXT?
The US commitment to fight terrorism globally seems to grow and grow. Asia Times reports on a new US commitment to assist Thailand against a possible Muslim insurgency:
The US Defense Department has trained and equipped police on the tourist
playground island of Phuket to prevent "international terrorists" staging a
copycat of the October 2002 Bali bombing, Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100946227134041172004-11-20T02:17:00.000-08:002004-11-20T02:23:47.133-08:00GOP ASSEMBLY LINE?
We have been suggesting that the Republican Party might succumb to arrogance because of misunderstanding the message from the voters in the November election.
The Boston Globe describes the energetic hustle of congressional Republicans to get an assembly line going for the President's agenda:
With expanded majorities in both houses of Congress, Republican leaders are
Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100875413405390342004-11-19T06:33:00.000-08:002004-11-19T06:45:52.260-08:00AFGHANISTAN AS A NARCO-STATE
The United Nations has issued a study that reports on the level of drug trade in and through Afganistan:
Heroin production is booming in Afghanistan, undermining democracy and putting money in the coffers of terrorists, according to a U.N. report Thursday that called on
U.S. and NATO-led forces get more involved in fighting drug traffickers.
It is a consequence of Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100872991594293522004-11-19T05:55:00.000-08:002004-11-19T06:03:11.596-08:00DEFEATING TERRORISM
The Washington Times has a story entitled "US Declares Insurgency 'Broken.' " The gist of the story is this:
The top Marine officer in Iraq declared yesterday that victory in the battle of Fallujah has "broken the back" of the Iraqi insurgency, while another commander in the war on terror said Osama bin Laden is all but cut off from his terrorist operatives.
The history of Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100864592469375562004-11-19T03:34:00.000-08:002004-11-19T03:44:56.596-08:00THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION AND A WEAK DOLLAR
Does the Bush Adminsitration want a weak dollar?
The Japan Times reports that Tokyo currency dealers think so. Which explains why they are dumping US dollars. They base their conclusion on remarks by Treasury Secretary John Snow :
They said remarks made by U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow in London on
Wednesday triggered massive dollar sales. Snow Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100863243427369742004-11-19T03:14:00.000-08:002004-11-19T03:20:43.426-08:00POSTPONING IRAQI ELECTIONS
While US military sources are claiming victory in Fallujah, there are signs that the US is NOT winning in Iraq. As we have said, the major victory that the insurgents are aiming at is the postponement of elections slated in that country for January. These elections are the linchpin of US policy there, and if they are disrupted or postponed, it will be major victory Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100861599044698642004-11-19T02:44:00.000-08:002004-11-19T02:53:19.043-08:00GOP ARROGANCE
Many members of the Republican Party are acting as if they think their victory in the recent election indicates a seismic shift in public opnion that will assure them permanent power. They are wrong. But in acting as if it were so, they will assure that it will not be permanent.
GOP arrogance will be the major factor in any Democratic victory in the future.
We have already Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100860413019657372004-11-19T02:22:00.000-08:002004-11-19T02:37:58.486-08:00WHAT IS POWELL DOING?
Colin Powell, lame-duck Secretary of State, yesterday revealed that Iran has developed the missile capability to deliver atomic warheads. Today, the Administration issued a statement implicitly critcisizing him for doing so:
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell shared information with reporters Wednesday about Iran's nuclear program that was classified and based on an Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100774460926172342004-11-18T02:33:00.000-08:002004-11-18T02:41:00.926-08:00UNCONTROLLED SPENDING
The US Senate has voted to permit the government to borrow up to $8.18 trillion.
Does it seem that our government has gone on an uncontrolled spending spree? Sen. Everett Dirksen once said, "A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money."
Of course, the war will be used to justify this spending. But that is not the reason for it. The Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100773021358249182004-11-18T02:07:00.000-08:002004-11-18T02:17:01.360-08:00POLITICIZING INTELLIGENCE
The New York Times headline states it as clearly as it can be stated: "Chief of CIA tells his staff to back Bush."
Here is the gist of the situation:
Porter J. Goss, the new intelligence chief, has told Central Intelligence Agency
employees that their job is to "support the administration and its policies in
our work,'' a copy of an internal memorandum shows.
"As Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100728226639501792004-11-17T13:40:00.000-08:002004-11-17T13:50:26.640-08:00REPUBLICANS NOT GETTING IT
We have cited several examples of the Democrats not getting the message of the recent election. But the Republicans too show signs of not getting the message.
Here are two examples:
In the flap over Senator Specter rising to be chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Republican senators are falling over themselves to assure his success in the name of Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100707656876081972004-11-17T08:04:00.000-08:002004-11-17T08:07:36.876-08:00A TERRORIST VICTORY IN IRAQ?
What would constitute a terrorist victory in Iraq?
Short-term it would be the delay of elections scheduled for January.
If the terrorists can disrupt these elections, they will have scored a major victory. Be sure that this disruption is their goal.
Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100705090277013052004-11-17T07:15:00.000-08:002004-11-17T07:24:50.276-08:00PENTAGON POWER STRUGGLE
The Pentagon's war is not just being fought in Iraq. It is also being fought in Washington against any government agency that questions its official neo-con ideology.
A headline story in today's Washington Times says it clearly: "Pentagon Cheers CIA Shake-up." As the Washington Times is a cheerleader of the neo-con view, its story welcomes the purge at the CIA.
But Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100686065531383572004-11-17T02:02:00.000-08:002004-11-17T02:08:37.550-08:00POWELL'S INACTION
Colin Powell has always been the Democrats' favorite member of the Bush Adminsitration. With his resignation, that favoritism has continued, with Powell praised as a "moderate" in a nest of hawks.
A more sober and realistic assessment come from Philip Gordon, "The Truth About Colin Powell."
Powell was a man who went along with policies he knew were wrong and harmful. HistoryMarco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100684447622249562004-11-17T01:37:00.000-08:002004-11-17T01:40:47.623-08:00POWELL THE MODERATE
TheTimes of India is unimpressed by Colin Powell's reputation as a "moderate." In its editorial, it sees the alleged "moderate" as one who is a fence-sitter out of fear of taking action. This inaction leaves victory to the extremists.
Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100683343044658302004-11-17T01:15:00.000-08:002004-11-17T01:22:23.043-08:00HADLEY'S CREDENTIALS
Stephen Hadley, currently a deputy to Condoleezza Rice, will rise to take her place as National Security Adviser.
What are his credentials for the top job? Britain's Guardian summarizes them accurately:
Ms Rice's deputy and close ally, Stephen Hadley, 57, was named as her
replacement as national security adviser. Mr Hadley, who has served under the Reagan and first Bush Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100643915708745772004-11-16T14:13:00.000-08:002004-11-16T14:25:15.710-08:00FIRST CHENEY ADMINISTRATION
Ever since the presidential election, there has been speculation by politicians and journalists about the second Bush Administration. In fact, what is rapidly developing is that this presidency is becoming the first Cheney Administration.
In a rapid sequence of moves, Vice President Cheney has gained control over the foreign policy apparatus of the United States in Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100633484169848772004-11-16T11:22:00.000-08:002004-11-16T11:31:24.170-08:00CONSERVATIVE OPPOSITION TO BUSH
As we said yesterday, the surpise will be the development of conservative Republican opposition to the agendas and policies of the second Bush Administration.
Senator John McCain has already begun the campaign. He has called the Administration's stance on climate change "terribly disappointing" and convened a meeting of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100616306185884332004-11-16T06:38:00.000-08:002004-11-16T06:48:19.300-08:00RICE FOR POWELL
So Condoleeza Rice, National Security Adviser in the first Bush administration, will be secretary of state in the second Bush administration. Why are we not surprised?
Rice is an unquestioning and faithful servant of Dick Cheney's. She is thus being rewarded for her "loyalty.".
But, even more, she represents the continuation of the neo-con coup d'etat. She will do the bidding Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100573309301052872004-11-15T18:43:00.000-08:002004-11-15T18:53:08.616-08:00MORE ON POWELL RESIGNATION
Britain's Guardian succinctly identifies the issue in Secretary of State Powell's resignation by describing him as a "dove among hawks."
His departure will leave Bush foreign policy in the hands of the hawks. But that, as we say, is exactly what the neo-conservatives - Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Perle, and company - want.
Watch the evidence for a neo-con coup Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100572568775796762004-11-15T18:26:00.000-08:002004-11-15T18:36:08.776-08:00THE SURPRISE OF BUSH'S SECOND ADMINISTRATION
Yes, the Democrats will oppose President Bush in many of the intitiatives and policies he wants to promote in his second adminstration. The surprise, however, is the opposition that he will get from conservative Republicans.
Opposition to Bush will come from a number of conservative groups and organizations who feel that they elected him and Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100540520552393662004-11-15T09:29:00.000-08:002004-11-15T09:42:00.553-08:00A NEO-CON COUP D'ETAT?
Secretay of State Colin Powell has submitted his resignation.
To understand the meaning of this event, it is necessary to look at the purge of the CIA ordered by the White House.
The two events together give a warning that a neo-conservative coup d'etat is under way to get rid of people who do not share the neo-con ideology. Final proof of this assertion must await the Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100530026873174722004-11-15T06:37:00.000-08:002004-11-15T06:47:06.873-08:00SPECTER'S TROUBLES MOUNT
The chances of Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) becoming chairman of the Senate Jusiciary Committe continue to dim.
The latest blow came on Sunday when Bill Frist (R-TN), Majority Leader of the Senate, refused to issue a statement of support for Specter but indicated he would defer his decision.
Frist's stance should be a warning to Specter!
What are the possibilities Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100476919487264792004-11-14T15:47:00.000-08:002004-11-14T16:01:59.486-08:00GERMANY'S MILITARY GOALS
Germany is rattling its sabers! It has been a long time since we heard that sound, and its return is unwelcome.
Don't be fooled by Germany's unwillingness to particpate in the US intervention in Iraq. It is not pacifism that motivates it. It is that it wants assurance of access to Iraq's oil supplies.
Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has reported on the Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100475347707882952004-11-14T15:27:00.000-08:002004-11-14T15:35:47.706-08:00WHY KERRY LOST
The post mortems continue. Democrats will continue to ask why Senator Kerry lost the presidential election if only to try to determine what they should do differently in 2008.
The Boston Globe, a Kerry-friendly newspaper, published a long piece trying to answer that question: "On the Trail of Kerry's Failed Dream." This piece seeks to present Kerry in a positive light, but it isMarco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100459544945397492004-11-14T11:01:00.000-08:002004-11-14T11:12:24.946-08:00KERRY GIRL FRIEND TELLS ALL, SORT OF
In politics, what starts as tragedy ends up as farce.
Lee Roystone, a former girlfriend of Senator Kerry proves this statement with the publication of her novel , Hedge Fund Mistress. The novel is a semi-autobiographical work of fiction based on her affair with Senator Kerry. It promises, for those enticed by prurient appetites, to be a graphic depiction Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100395982583405232004-11-13T17:22:00.000-08:002004-11-16T06:51:59.950-08:00MYSTERY SURROUNDING ARAFAT'S DEATH
A mystery combined with conspiracy theories will surround the death of Yasir Araft unless an autopsy is conducted.
Beirut's English-language newspaper, Daily Star, published an article that effectively states the problem: "Mystery Lingers Over Cause of Arafat's Death." Behind all the speculation is the rumor that Arafat was poisoned. If he was, who was the Marco Reliusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425843.post-1100360625321223122004-11-13T07:31:00.000-08:002004-11-13T07:43:45.320-08:00CBS RIDES AGAIN!
CBS embarrassed itself in the Rathergate episode where memos alleging to show problems with President Bush's national guard service proved to be forgeries. But CBS, ignoring the lesson that episode, continues to ride on into the sunset.
When news of Cairman Arafat's death broke, CBS interrupted a popular tv show, CSI: NY, to report it. A reasonable decision since the deathMarco Reliusnoreply@blogger.com