It's A Lousy Law, But Kerry Pushed And Needs to Live Within It

Democrats have devised every sort of trick to evade the campaign finance reform they so sanctimoniously pushed on the country. I'd like to see it disposed of, but as long as we have it, the people who inflicted in on us should be forced to obey it.

So far, they haven't. And the Republicans are going to beat John Kerry over the head with it.

Please Everyone! Just Give Up!

I can't get over the impression that Howard Fineman is encouraging us to throw in the towel in Iraq. He recounts how the press managed to turn a victory in Vietnam into a defeat by highlighting the negative and ignoring the negative and wants the press to accomplish the same thing in Iraq.

"[T]he cause of the president's decline is the drumbeat of bad news out of Iraq, which continues to provide images that defy the White House story line. To be sure, there is good news from that ancient land: re-opened schools, electricity working, a remarkable (for the Islamic world) provisional constitution with guarantees of free speech, religion and assembly. Were Iraq to become a stable, democratic state, it would be hard to argue that America was not safer as a result. A big country with vast oil reserves to bankroll terrorists in the middle of an antagonistic region would be off the enemies list.

But in politics as in life a picture is worth a thousand words, and videotape is worth millions."

The pictures scared Clinton out of Somalia in just 4 days.

Meanwhile, our own press seems hard pressed to even call the terrorists something as benign as "insurgents."

"BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Suspected insurgents killed four American civilian contractors in a grenade attack Wednesday in central Iraq, U.S. officials said.

Cheering residents in Fallujah pulled charred bodies from burning vehicles and hung them from a Euphrates River bridge."


Someone should remind these pigs that Saddam would have just gassed them all.

Now That's Going Out With Style!

I've often thought that, if I had to die, I'd like to drive a Lamborghini into a wall at 225 mph, or be at ground zero when a big asteroid struck the Earth. But this isn't too bad either.

Won't Osama Be Disappointed?

The terrorists in Iraq have done their best to recreate a Mogadishu moment in Iraq. It was Clinton's cut and run from Somalia that emboldened al-Quaida to escalate its attacks on the United States. It won't happen this time.

Another Exploding Cigar For The Democrats

Gregg Easterbrook peels the onion that is Richard Clarke and finds nothing inside. According to Clarke himself, in the 18 months between September 11 and the beginning of the Iraq war, he knew all along that invading Iraq would be a mistake - but he kept that to himself, saving for the book he wrote a year later (and has already collected more than a million dollars for).

If he was really so concerned about it, why didn't he speak up then?

"Instead in the month before the Iraq war began, Clarke did not oppose it. Suddenly in 2004 he has remembered his intense antiwar views--now that the political climate has shifted and suddenly remembering your intense antiwar views is a good way to sell a book."

Clarke was not keeping quiet at all then. In fact, he was advocating the war.

"As New Republic super-intern Anne O'Donnell points out, on resigning from the National Security Council in February 2003, one month prior to the attack on Iraq, Clarke quickly signed as an on-air consultant to ABC News. During the month before the war, Clarke made several appearances on national television. He spoke in great detail regarding Iraq, Saddam, terrorism intelligence, military tactics, even discussing by name individual Republican Guard divisions and U.S. plans for those divisions. So Clarke certainly wasn't holding his tongue, he was yakking nonstop. And yet by the most amazing and astonishing coincidence, Clarke apparently didn't mention any of the strongly-held antiwar views he has now suddenly remembered!

Here is a typical Clarke appearance, researched by O'Donnell, from ABC News on the night of March 21, 2003:


PETER JENNINGS. Talk a bit about this targeting of Saddam.

CLARKE. Well, I think if you could effectively decapitate the leadership, from, either by killing them or by removing their ability to communicate with the rest of the country, then it's going to be a lot easier to get these [Iraqi army] divisions to surrender. And after all, we don't want to have the entire country of Iraq hating us when we are done with this. We want them to feel liberated. We want them to join us in what is going to be a very limited, I hope, U.S. occupation. So there's a political strategy at work here that looks down the road beyond the fighting. And I think it makes a great deal of sense. But it's not clear yet whether or not it will work. "

Democrats will have to choose their celebratory cigars more carefully.

Kerry's Number One Defect

Bill Clinton could get away with quite a lot because he was able to come across as a likeable galoot. However, can anyone see in John Kerry even one endearing personality trait? Is there anything likeable about the man?

Tony Blankley chronicles unguarded, sponteous Kerryisms and predicts that they will wear on the voters nerves. To know him is to loath him.

Pretending to Believe and Failing to Practice

Last Sunday, John Kerry made news by quoting scripture and accusing president George W. Bush of failing to live up to religious principles. This is quite ironic as John Kerry is in trouble with his own church for undermining Catholocism.
Kerry has voted in favor of partial birth abortion and homosexual marriage for example.

And of course, he did dump his first wife.

All the while, he describes himself as a "believing and practicing Catholic."

How much trouble will this get him into with his church? Maybe, quite a lot.

Another Stupid Apology

Apparently inspired by Richard Clarke, an obscure journalist tries to make a name for himself by apologizing on behalf of those who really didn't ask him to.

"The media are finished with their big blowouts on the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, and there is one thing they forgot to say: We're sorry," Rick Mercier wrote, in a column published Sunday in The Free Lance-Star.

"Sorry we let unsubstantiated claims drive our coverage. Sorry we were dismissive of experts who disputed White House charges against Iraq. Sorry we let a band of self-serving Iraqi defectors make fools of us. Sorry we fell for Colin Powell's performance at the United Nations. Sorry we couldn't bring ourselves to hold the administration's feet to the fire before the war, when it really mattered.

"Maybe we'll do a better job next war."

Why WMDs Don't Really Matter

Ann Clwyd reminds the world that WMDs weren't the only reason we went into Iraq. It wasn't even the most important reason. And, we should celebrate 25 million newly free human beings.

"Oh Barf. Shut up."

Richard Clarke was so antagonistic toward Condoleezza Rice that he wouldn't go to National Security Council meeting. When told that Dr. Rice missed him, he answered, "Oh Barf. Shut up."

Gee, Since When Does John Kerry Oppose High Gasoline Prices?

Didn't John Kerry claim that we needed higher priced gasoline to reduce consumption? And, didn't he once favor a huge tax increase on gasoline?

Why, yes. He did.

So Sue Me!

Al Franken needs to attract attention to his new radio show. His strategy - provoke a lawsuit.

It Wasn't Just The Booming Economy

Passage of the welfare reform act of 1996 was followed by a dramatic drop in permanent welfare moms. Some said that it was just a by-product of the booming economy. But, the effect has persisted.

To Hell With Clarke, Testimony Damns Democrats

Melana Zyla Vickers distills the testimony at the 9/11 commission and points fingers at the Clinton Administration.

Their sins:

1) Unwillingness to use force to retaliate against terrorism or pre-empt attacks.
2) Inaction in the face of legal obstacles
3) Animus toward the intelligence community
4) Fear of unpopularity in the court of domestic and foreign public opinion
5) Failure to improve the effectiveness of bilateral relations with Arab states and Pakistan.

On The Other Hand, You Could Probably Get A Franchise Cheap

A new restaurant has opened in Makiti, The Philippines. The menu is all Spam all the time. Really.

Not Even Richard Clarke Can Save Kerry

Even the combined might of all the major mainstream news outlets pushing Richard Clarke's book can lift John Kerry. In the last week, George Bush's poll numbers have actually improved.

You Can Always Buy Sex

Two-thirds of Americans say that they'd rather have a lot of money than a lot of sex.

Attacked Aborted

Far from doing nothing to prevent terrorism, it appears that Bush's response to 9/11 has protected America from further attacks. Al Qaida had planned to attack the Sears Tower in Chicago and the the Library Tower in Los Angeles.

But, Bush's actions since 9/11 have so disrupted Al Qaida have paralyzed the group.

According to al Qaida's operations chief, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, "We were looking for symbols of economic might."

"Osama had said the second wave should focus on the West Coast," he said.

But, after America's forceful response, "Afterwards, we never got time to catch our breath, we were immediately on the run," Mohammed is quoted as saying.

A Better Screenplay Than Reality

The ever humble Richard Clarke decribes himself as, "the nation's crisis manager." But, as you might easily imagine, he was not alone.

The man who shared that job with Clarke has some very different memorlies of the events of 9/11. Clarke's tales make for great reading that they make him (Clarke) appear as the only person keeping his head.

In Mr. Clarke's telling, he gathered the staff around and told them to leave for their own safety, particularly those with young children. They declined, and according to Mr. Clarke, Mr. Miller then "grabbed a legal pad and said, `All right. If you're staying, sign your name here,' " so that a list could be e-mailed out of the building. The purpose, he recalled Mr. Miller saying, was "so the rescue teams will know how many bodies to look for."

Very dramatic eh? But the Mr. Miller in the story, Franklin Miller, says it didn't happen. And according to Miller, there was never any question that everyone would stay and work.

"That paragraph was a complete fiction," Mr. Miller said.

I predict that there will be a lot of people coming out to give different versions of events.

If Only The World Listened To Him

George Will doesn't believe that, once the dust settles, Richard Clarke's book will occupy much of a place in history. From blaming Bush for 9/11, to admitting that Bush could not possibly have prevented 9/11, Clarke has managed to squander whatever credibility he had.
His only semi-substantive contention is that invading Iraq was a mistake. No new ideas there. And it will be quite some time before we know the answer to that anyway.

More Bad News For The Democrats

Economists predict that we are on the cusp of an economic boom.

"Employers soon will add jobs steadily as the economy continues to expand, say economists surveyed by USA TODAY.
In an optimistic outlook, the 56 economists also predict businesses and consumers will continue to spend more as the unemployment rate falls. Inflation will stay low, they say, letting the Federal Reserve keep interest rates at historic lows a bit longer."

Don't you know that Democrats are hoping that they can forestall it and keep people out of work until December.

Shouldn't Kerry Be Proud Of Attending Meeings Where Assasinations Were Discussed?

If it's appropriate for John Kerry to remind us at every opportunity that he is a Vietnam veteran, then his antiwar record should be open for scrutiny too. John Kerry doesn't think so.

Did Clarke Need His Ass Kissed More Often?

There is growing evidence that Richard Clarke's anger at George W. Bush has more to do wounded vanity than policy substance. Bill Clinton used to come to Richard Clarke for advice. Clinton rarely followed it, but Clarke's ego was stroked by the face time. In the Bush Administration, the president sought counsel from George Tenet and Condoleezza Rice.

Poor Dick.

Green Rascim?

Richard Lamm, the former Democratic governor of Colorado is learning what it's like to depart, even slightly, from leftist dogma. Among the names he is being called include "racist," "right-wing extremist" and "Nazi."

What has he done to deserve this approbrium? He is campaigning for a seat on the Sierra Club's board of directors on the platform of immigration restrictions. He believes that the population growth threatens the environment. That's actually been an environmentalist axiom for some time. But, apparently, it's only over-population by people of pallor that offends the left.

The left doesn't really engage dissent. It tries to intimidate it.

Back From Break

Andrew Sullivan is back from his Spring Break.

Fighting Terror Requires Going For the Roots

Liberals like to talk about root causes. And, in the case of terrorism, we're told it's poverty and oppression. These same liberals berate outsourcing, but that's another issue.

In truth, terrorism has its root in state support. Al Quaida could not have launched its mega attacks without a secure base of operations and a lot of money.

Saddam Hussein's Iraq was a huge financial supporter of terrorism and a safe haven. It isn't anymore. A former Secretary of State explains why the war on terror required Saddam's removal from power.

Another European Endorsement for Kerry

A Frenchman for Kerry: "Of course, Mr. Kerry isn't popular among the uneducated people and "white trash" supporting Mr. Bush. Neither among Mr. Bush's usual buddies: oil and finance sharks, hysterical South Protestants and other KKK members."

And, the white trash responds. "I really got a kick out of the Frenchman Bernard Marchois's letter. In one paragraph he refers to "huge impoverishment" in the U.S. and in the next "it would be better for the world and the U.S. to have a night pot in the Oval Office than Mr. Bush."

I had to look up what a "night pot" is, and as best I can tell it's something that people in impoverished European countries use for defecating in at night. That such a term is in his vocabulary and absent from ours speaks volumes about relative impoverishment."

--Michael Muczynski

John Kerry - Nothing

The Washington Post complains that John Kerry emerged as the Democratic nominee as a "generic Democrat." He has espoused no vision. He has set no agenda.

To do something like that would require an act of political courage that he has avoided throughout his career.

"My greatest worry about the Kerry candidacy is that the competence and confidence it's demonstrated early on in rapid reaction to news of the day will come at the expense of an organized and systematic effort to tell the American people what John Kerry would do as president of the United States," said William Galston, a University of Maryland professor and former Clinton domestic adviser. "By the end of the campaign, if people can't spontaneously name two or three things that are big things that he would do differently, then I think the campaign will not have succeeded in getting across the whole message."

A Professional Job

The home of an historian who has assembled a considerable file on John Kerry was burgled recently. The only thing taken were copies of FBI files on John Kerry, which contained information that Kerry found embarassing.

"Was it a thrill-seeker who wanted a piece of history? It could be," Gerald Nicosia said. "You'd think there was a very strong political motivation for taking those files. The odds are in favor of that."

"It was a very clean burglary. They didn't break any glass. They didn't take anything like cameras sitting by. It was a very professional job," Nicosia said.

A Foreign Endorsement Kerry Won't Be Getting

John Kerry parades himself around as a devout Catholic. He doesn't live much like a Catholic though. And the Pope has noticed.

According to a vatican official, "People in Rome are becoming more and more aware that there's a problem with John Kerry, and a potential scandal with his apparent profession of his Catholic faith and some of his stances, particularly abortion."

Whether his Catholocism will be a problem with the voters, Kerry says: "We have a separation of church and state in this country. As John Kennedy said very clearly, I will be a President who happens to be Catholic, not a Catholic President."

The problem is that there is not supposed to be separation between church and the way you conduct your life. Kerry was warned "not to present himself for communion" by St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke last February, because communion is not for "those who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin."

Will Syria Come Clean Next?

Who would have thought that Libya would renounce terrorism? It was unthinkable until the moment it became true. Is Syria considering the same course?

According to the newspaper, The Australian: "SYRIA has appealed to Australia to use its close ties with Washington to help the Arab nation shake off its reputation as a terrorist haven and repair its relations with the US.

Secret talks between the two nations have been under way for months but have become more urgent as rogue nations reconsider their role in allowing terrorists to thrive, in light of the US determination to take pre-emptive military action."

Do you think that Libya and Syria would be having these "come to Jesus" moments if we had treated terrorism as a "law enforcement issue" as John Kerry proposes?

What Will Paul Krugman Do?

The New York Times "Public Editor" has decreed that, henceforth, opinion page columnists will no longer be free to lie. Any factual errors will have to be promptly corrected.

"In the coming months I expect columnist corrections to become a little more frequent and a lot more forthright than they've been in the past."

If Paul Krugman has to get his facts straight first, and correct any errors he makes, I doubt he'll have much time for anything else.

A Good Idea. Let's Run With It

Economists agree. Kerry's proposed corporate tax cut will stimulate the economy.
So let's do it now.

But, economists also agree that Kerry's proposals will not discourage outsourcing. So, his wife's company will continue to ship jobs overseas.

Kerry Proposes Tax Cuts?

John Kerry says he can stimulate the economy - but cutting taxes? He will reduce the deficit - by trimming the size of the government?

Perhaps George Bush can do these things now. Then John Kerry and the Democrats would be forced to go along and they couldn't call it, "give aways to the rich," and "cruel."

What Threat Are Christians in Sudan?

Liberals frequently tell us that, to stop terrorism, we have to conduct ourselves in a less threatening manner. So how do the Christians of southern Sudan threaten the Arabs who runs the country? The Arabs have all the guns. The predominantly Christian black in the south are being systematically slaughtered at the rate of 1000 per week.
The genocide is barely noticed.

Does It Run Away?

Now this is ironic. A French GI Joe doll.

Charles Krauthammer Lands on Clarke With Both Feet

Speaking of the Clinton year during a 2002 interview with PBS, Richard Clarke said the following: "I believe that had we destroyed the terrorist camps in Afghanistan earlier, that the conveyor belt that was producing terrorists sending them out around the world would have been destroyed.'' Instead, ``now we have to hunt (them) down country by country.''

When asked what the United States should have been doing during the Clinton years, Clarke answered: "Blow up the camps and take out their sanctuary. Eliminate their safe haven, eliminate their infrastructure. ... That's ... the one thing in retrospect I wish had happened.''

And, the president who did nothing during those years is the same one whom Clarke now credits with taking terrorism more seriously than the current administration.

That's why, only three months into 2004, Charles Krauthammer is awarding Richard Clarke his "Chutzpah of the Year Award."

Hypersonic Jet Travel. The Space Shuttle's Replacement Ready For Testing

How about an air breathing jet capable of reaching 5000 mph? The challenges were huge, but NASA believes that it has addressed the known issues sufficiently to attempt a test flight.

Not All Spaniards. Just You.

Spanish Prime Minister elect Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is angry at the perception that Spaniards are cowards in the war on terror. I don't know of many people who think that. But I know a lot of people who think Zapatero is a coward.

Other Counties Jug Lewiston Residents Too

A good idea should not have to go in search of a good excuse. Providing citizens with property tax relief is always a good idea. Replacing the lost revenue with a consumption-based tax is also a good idea. Doing so under the guise of charging neighboring counties for crimes committed by their residents in Nez Perce County borders upon silliness. I suspect that surrounding counties already have an informal reciprocal arrangement whereby Nez Perce County-based malefactors are kept on ice in their jails at the expense of the county where the offense was committed. We may be fairly confident that Nez Perce County’s ne’er do wells do not limit their pillaging and plundering to their home territory. In fact, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the balance of incarceration did not already favor Lewiston.
In spite of the fact that the above argument, which was advanced by the Nez Perce County prosecutor, makes little sense, Nez Perce County’s plan to raise the local sales tax one-half percent, with the revenues used to build a new jail and to provide property tax relief to the county’s property owners is, on balance, a good idea. And it is an idea that the voters should approve when it appears on the ballot on May 25.
Property tax is a particularly onerous levy for which there is no legitimate defense. Aside from the excuse that government has been collecting such taxes for a long time, there really is no excuse for punishing people for owning their own home.
My checking account is not taxed. Neither is my savings account. The tax collector does not inventory my furniture and present me with a bill for the privilege of sitting in my easy chair. If I owned a wide screen, high definition, color television, it would be none of the government’s business. So why should my land and my house, unique among all my wealth, be exposed to taxation? There is no good reason – except that it has always been done that way.
I consider my home to be part of my savings – a nest egg for the future. Because I have made sacrifices when I was younger, I will not have to pay rent in my retirement. In that way, my home is much like a self-administered pension fund. The revenuers don’t look over my retirement account and tax me on the balance.
And so, with all the good reasons for shifting the tax burden from property to consumption, why would somebody have to come up with the silly justification that raising sales taxes will enable the county to reach into the pockets of out-of-town shoppers and charge them for housing residents of those towns in the local lockup?
The genesis of the idea is a convoluted one. Originally, the Idaho State Legislature passed a law that only permitted Kootenai County the authority to raise its own property taxes to build a new jail. The state’s Supreme Court turned its thumb down on that law for the obvious reason that it did not apply equally to all counties. So, if Kootenai County was to have the authority to shift its tax burden, then all Idaho counties must have the same flexibility. The legislature passed the law, but kept the stipulation that building a new jail would be part of the bargain. Why the state should care how the money is spent baffles this observer.
The warped result is that, in order to provide property owners with tax relief, counties have to build a new jail.
Arguing in favor of shifting the tax burden, and building a new jail, County Prosecutor Dan Spickler tried to make the case that the Nez Perce county jail contains not just Nez Perce county residents, and doesn’t it make sense to tax residents of those other counties when they come to Nez Perce County to shop?
The short answer is: No, it doesn’t. Nez Perce county residents drive drunk in Clarkston, and start bar fights in Latah County. They boost cars in Idaho County and burgle apartments in Whitman County.
Nez Perce County residents take up space and consume tax revenue from their neighbors, just the same as Asotin County residents find themselves on the wrong side of the law in Nez Perce County.
Property tax relief is a good idea. Getting even with neighbors isn’t.

Ever Heard of Kenneth Starr? Or Linda Tripp?

The mainstream press seems to be very sympathetic to Richard Clarke. Gee. Isn't it awful that the awesome power f the presidency has been turned on the "whistle blower?"

Note these lines from the Washington Post today.

"Bush's aides unleashed a two-pronged strategy that called for preemptive strikes on Clarke before most people could have seen his book, coupled with saturation media appearances by administration aides. They questioned the truthfulness of Clarke's claims, his competence as an employee, the motives behind the book's timing, and even the sincerity of the pleasantries in his resignation letter and farewell photo session with Bush.

The barrage was unusual for a White House that typically tries to ignore its critics, and it was driven by White House calculations that Clarke would appear credible to average viewers. Bush's advisers are concerned that Clarke's assertions are capable of inflicting political damage on a president who is staking his claim for reelection in large measure on his fight against terrorism."

One has to read halfway down through the article before the Washington Post reports that Clarke might have a problem as his book sharply contrasts with a briefing he gave the press in 2002. But, even then, the empahasis is not on Clarke's contradiction, but rather on how low it was for the administration to allow Fox News to reveal the name of the "unnamed" senior official who gave the briefing.

In truth, the Bush Administration is simply using Richard Clarke's own words against him. When a person says one thing one day and something contradictory the next, both statements cannot be true. At least one is a lie.

Not even Time magazine can choke down Clarke's obvious fabrications and exagerrations. And they didn't even have to go back to his background briefing with a number of news agencies in August of 2002.

During the Clinton years, the administration's thugs would accuse any critic of planning to enrich themselves by writing a book. Anybody seen Linda Tripp's book? How about Kathleen Willey or Ken Starr's book?

Richard Clarke already has his book and his publisher moved up the publication so that it coincided with the 9/11 hearings. This is so obviously cynical that it even Dan Rather should be able to figure it out for himself.

The Critics of Preemption Fault Bush For Not Preempting

The Wall Street Journal notes the opportunism of Bush Doctrine critics.

"Give President Bush's critics credit for versatility. Having spent months assailing him for doing too much after 9/11--Iraq, the Patriot Act, the "pre-emption" doctrine--they have now turned on a dime to allege that he did too little before it. This contradiction is Mr. Bush's opportunity to rise above the ankle biting and explain to the American public what a President is elected to do."

Nobody Rebuts Richard Clarke More Forcefully Than Richard Clarke

The mainstream liberal press is running with the story that Republicans are fiercely attacking Richard Clarke. But, all they are doing is comparing what Richard Clarke has said in the past with what he is saying now.

Puzzllingly, CNN is actually presenting this story rather fairly, when compared with MSNBC, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.

It would seem that CNN is reacting to competition from the new media, which does a far better job of reporting fairly than the old media.

A Crock of Baloney

This is low, even by the standards of the New York Times. The Time's notes Bill Clinton's many failures in confronting terrorism, but then argues, "there was at least no question about the Clinton administration's commitment to combat terrorism, and on occasion, like the December 1999 alert that appears to have averted an attack on the Los Angeles airport, it produced results."

The Times notes Clinton's one big success - preventing an attack on the LA airport in 1999.

I remember that. A border guard in Washington state was suspicious of a man crossing from Canada and decided to search his car. He found bomb making materials. Until the explosives were discovered, for all the border guard knew, the guy was trying to smuggle Cuban cigars.

Compare that with Bush's successes. Two regimes that once harbored and supported terrorism have been overthrown and replaced with friendly governments. Pakistan, which was once allied with the Taliban is now our staunchest ally in the region. Libyan, another terrorist state has gotten religion and has abandoned its WMD program and disavowed terrorism.

You tell me which president has done more to combat terrorism. You tell me who was committed.

Cold Fusion Gets a Second Look

Very quietly, now that the laughter and derision has died down, researchers have convinced the United States Department of Energy to review cold fusion research.

About 15 years ago, cold fusion was one week a panacea, and the next a laughing stock as mainstream physicists dismissed the concept as laughable. Edward Teller joked that a new elementary particle, the "meshugatron" would be required for cold fusion to occur. Meshuga is Yiddish for "crazy."

But, a small cadre of scientist continued to work and claim to have confirmed the original results of Pons and Fleischman. And, the DOE is sufficiently impressed to review their work and maybe underwrite some research.

Peggy Noonan Shakes Her Head in Disappointment

The 9/11 hearings have not been quite the partisan battleground many expected. And because of that, sins of ommission were neglected.

"One summer day in the late 1990s I had a long talk with an elected official who was a friend and longtime political supporter of President Clinton. I asked him why, if Bill Clinton cared so much about his legacy, he didn't take steps to make America safer from terrorism. Why didn't he make it one of his big issues? We were at lunch in a New York restaurant, and I gestured toward the tables of happy people drinking golden-colored wine in gleaming glasses. They're all going to get sick when we get nuked, I said; they'd honor your guy for having warned and prepared.

Yes, the official said, but you have to understand that Clinton is purely a poll driven politician, and if the numbers aren't there he won't move."

In Education, Nothing Fails Like Success

In Florida, poor black kids who would otherwise be forced to attend failing public schools now have the opportunity to escape those schools and enroll in the same, high priced private schools that rich white kids attend. Jesse Jackson calls that "racist."

Student Athletes? Come On

Only four of the sweet sixteen basketball teams graduate as much as 50% of their players.

"That kind of record legitimizes the criticism of the university community as creating an entertainment industry and not doing its moral duty toward the students who enroll as student-athletes," said former University of North Carolina president William C. Friday, co-chairman of the Knight Commission. "I view that very seriously."

Spanish Retreat Vindicates Al Qaeda's Contempt For The West

"In his 1996 "Declaration of War Against the Americans," Bin Laden cited Washington's retreat in the face of the 1992 Aden hotel bombings and the Black Hawk Down fiasco in Somalia in 1993: "You have been disgraced by Allah and you withdrew. The extent of your impotence and weaknesses became very clear." Those signs of weakness only emboldened the terrorists to launch even greater attacks against the United States."

But, in the end, it was Spain who showed the soft backbone that Bin Laden believed was the definition of westerners.

Richard Clarke's Vanity - And Dishonesty

Gee, I suppose that al Qaeda attacked the World Trade Center in 1993, blew up Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, attacked the USS Cole, and bombed US embassies in anticipation of our liberation of Iraq. Only that would satisfy Richard Clarke's twisted logic that George W. Bush is to blame for the bombings in Madrid.

Richard Lowry points out that Bill Clinton rejected nearly all of Richard Clarke's suggested, while George Bush implemented some and went beyond a few others. Bush didn't want to simply bomb an al Qaeda training base now and then, which he likened to "swatting flies." Bush wanted to exterminate al Qaeda. Nevertheless, it is Bush whom Clarke accuses of being soft on terror.

Hamas Will Fight Until They Run Out Of Other People's Children

So far, the leaders of Hama, Islamic Jihad, and the al Aqsa Martyrs brigade have only strapped suicide bombs on other people's children. They still love their own children more than they hate Israelis.
And, they can be taught fear. That's why Bret Stephens believes that killing Ahmed Yassin will do more good than harm.

John Effing Who?

Brenden Miniter wonders who exactly the Democrats have nominated. More that 40% of Americans have no idea who John Kerry is or what he stands for. Much of this is John Effing Kerry's fault, who's foggy, "nuanced" rhetoric makes him incomprehensible.

Miniter thinks that Americans need a defining moment from Kerry so that they can understand who he is. I think they've already gotten one. "I actually voted for the $87 billion before I voted against it."

What About Book Sales?

Whenever somebody criticized Bill Clinton, the mainstream press immediately assumed that it was stage one of book sales. I'm still waiting for Linda Tripp's book.
Now, an insider in the War on Terror goes on 60 minutes, precisely as his much ballyhooed book goes on sale and his intentions are assumed to be pure.

Osama Bin Laden, Foreign Leader For Kerry

Stratfor.com reports that Al Qaeda has evolved a new strategy, electoral manipulation. And, they want to put John Kerry in the White House.

After last week's stunning Spanish election, a Stratfor report said, "given the use of planted explosives in Madrid rather than suicide bombers, al Qaeda is likely planning to carry on with this tactic, particularly given the tremendous success of the operation in Spain." Britain, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary and Australia were listed as U.S.-aligned nations risking the Spanish punishment. Stratfor added: "A wave of attacks in those countries against soft targets . . . could shift the global balance."

A new al Qaeda strategy twist was hinted last Thursday when the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, which claimed responsibility for the Madrid bombings, offered a cease-fire if Spanish troops actually leave Iraq as promised by Zapatero. That first known possible al Qaeda offer to negotiate with the West pressures weak European governments who might prefer appeasement to the fate of Spain.

However, in Friedman's opinion, al Qaeda's big target will be the United States. He sees an attack earlier (in the summer) rather than later (in the autumn), when it might boost Bush's re-election chances. "The grand prize," said a Stratfor report, "would be triggering an election defeat for Bush -- something that clearly would demonstrate the group's influence over Western powers."

Kerry Comes Down Hard on Both Sides of Cuba

John Kerry boasted to Miami Herald reporter Peter Wallsten that he had voted for the Helms-Burton bill that put the force of law behind the United States boycott of Cuba.

The trouble is that the record clearly shows that Kerry voted against it.

"When Wallsten asked why Kerry said he voted for Helms-Burton when in fact he voted against it, he was told that the senator opposed the bill "because he disagreed with some of the final technical aspects." And what were those "technical aspects?" Oh, only the bill's most important new sanction: Title III. The yes vote that Kerry trumpeted in Florida had come five months earlier, on a weaker version of Helms-Burton that never became law."

Would You Prefer A President Popular With The French, or One Who Brought Down the Berlin Wall?

John Fund of the Wall Street Journal points out that Jimmy Carter was very popular in France. It was not a coincidence that American interests declined around the world under his stewardship.
On the other hand, Old Europe didn't think much of Ronald Reagan.

Does Truth Require Strategy

Supposedly, the 9/11 commission is searching for truth. But, what they're really do is searching for political advantage. That's why 3 Democratic members of the commission meet regularly with Tom Daschle to plan strategy. Their goal - blame Bush and help Kerry win the White House.

France Might Get Eaten After All

An appeaser is someone who will feed his friends to the alligators hoping that the gator will eat him last. The Axis of Weasels certainly took this path when they stabbed us in the back on the war on terror.
"Kill Americans," they said, "We're your friends!"

The strategy will fail though, because the Madrid bombers have specifically targeted all Westerners for their terror attacks.

"Time has come for decisions. Either Europe unifies to resist the engineers of the apocalypse, following Tony Blair. Or it poses as an opponent of the United States, following the pseudo-"camp of peace" led by Jacques Chirac, Vladimir Putin and the hesitating Gerhard Schroeder. The "viva la muerte" chanted by the Islamist legions vindicates Tony Blair. But the terror they spread, petrifying European citizens, threatens to lead to resignation after resignation.
Rome, Paris, Athens, Warsaw, Berlin . . .? Don't ask who's next! "Never ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." Hemingway the anti-Francoist was quoting John Donne, an 18th century poet. Bin Laden's mercenaries take their inspiration from the Spanish fascist Millán Astray: "You want life, we want death." Will Mr. Zapatero find the voice of Miguel de Unamuno, the independent thinker of Salamanca who denounced the fascist general's "cry of necrophilia," and stand up to today's nihilist killers? It is never too late to prevent a disaster."

I'd Rather Drive a Humvee

The car of somebody else's future has arrived. It's a 3-cylinder, 61 horsepower golf cart. They call it the "Smart Car."
I think you'd have to be a little dumb to take that death trap out on the road.

If It's Okay For The Crazy and The Addicted to Vote Democrat........

American corporations are encouraging their empoyees to register and vote. And Democrats are worried. Registering normal people helps the GOP because Republicans do best among people who work for their own living.

"A growing number of large U.S. corporations are offering services to register their employees to vote and mounting get-to-the-polls drives that advocates hope will swell the ranks of pro-business voters this election year.

Companies portray the voter push as a nonpartisan employee benefit. But Republicans see it as a boon to their hopes of maintaining control of the House and Senate and reelecting President Bush. And Democrats, who have long benefited from union-led get-out-the-vote campaigns, are worried that business finally has developed a vigorous counterpunch."

Please, No More Foreign Endorsements

Gee, just as those secret endorsements were starting to roll in, John Kerry has asked that they stop. He had already scored a Stalinist dictator, a socialist appeaser, and a vehement anti-Semitic former prime minister of Malaysia.

Now, he'd rather they stopped.

John F. Kerry's campaign is trying to wave surrender on the great controversy over his claim that more foreign leaders secretly back his candidacy than President Bush. Campaign aides last week said he is neither seeking foreign endorsements, nor will he accept them.

"This election will be decided by the American people, and the American people alone," Rand Beers, a Kerry foreign policy adviser, said in a statement. "It is simply not appropriate for any foreign leader to endorse a candidate in America's presidential election. John Kerry does not seek, and will not accept, any such endorsements."

Embarassed To Be An American?

The Washington Posts examines John Kerry's view of America on the world stage.

When President Bill Clinton referred to the United States as "the indispensable nation" during his second inaugural address in 1997, and then as other U.S. officials picked up the term, Sen. John F. Kerry recoiled. He turned to his longtime foreign policy aide Nancy Stetson to ask, "Why are we adopting such an arrogant, obnoxious tone?"

Kerry has tried to accomodate of all of America's enemies, from the Iranian mullahs to the Nicaraguan Sandanistas.

But, does he actually stand for anything? Not even those closest to him know for sure.

"Kerry's aides cannot recall whether he ever sketched out a broad foreign policy vision before he sought the presidency. Indeed, many of Kerry's speeches during his Senate years were lengthy and subtle, reflecting an understanding of complex issues but also a tendency to sketch so many shades of gray that the reasoning for his position became opaque."

Remember Who You're Pandering Too

Sometimes, John Kerry can't recall who he's lying to or who's butt he's kissing.

"John Kerry, defending 'gay rights' before a black audience, explained that when 'Mr. King gets dragged behind a truck down [in] Texas by chains and his body is mutilated only because he's gay, I think that's a matter of rights in the United States of America.' James Byrd was dragged behind a truck and murdered in Texas. Rodney King was beaten by police in Los Angeles. Neither man was gay."

How Many John Kerry's Does It Take To Change a Lightbulb

Mark Steyn has a laugh at John Kerry's flipfloppery. Actually, he has quite a few.

''His vote against the first Gulf War was, he says, a sign of his support for the first Gulf War. Whereas his vote in favor of the Iraq war was a sign of his opposition to the Iraq war. And his vote against funding America's troops in Iraq is a sign of his support for America's men and women in uniform. On the same principle, I think the best way voters this November can demonstrate their support for John Kerry is by voting against him.''

Even I, though, would have balked at so crude and obvious a parody as this line, which some Kerry impersonator did on the radio the other day:

''I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it.''

How Can Republicans Make Fun of Al Sharpton After This?

Boxing promoter Don King is hosting a fundraiser for the Republican Party. The only good news is that he has also contributed to the campaigns of Richard Gephardt and Carol Moseley Braun.

John Effing Kerry's Free Speech Cramped

The FCC has formally banned the F-word from the air waves. This will seriously cramp John Kerry's vocabulary.

Kofi Annan: Trust Me

Considering that his own son has his fingers in the UN's Oil For Food scandal, can we really trust Kofi Annan to investigate United Nations' corruption?

Kerry is Soft On Defense, Even For The New York Times

"When U.S. military spending was being driven by the agendas of defense contractors and right-wing ideologues, I stood up to oppose their excesses," Mr. Kerry said in a written statement to The New York Times. "But I have always fought to ensure America has the strongest military in the world."

Of course, the Times can't get through the article without reminding us that John Kerry, "returned from the Vietnam War with a Silver Star and three Purple Hearts." As if that excuses everything he's done since.

In 1990 he ran for re-election on the slogan "Once you've seen war, you never stop fighting for peace,"

It's interesting to watch the Times squirm, coming up with lame excuses for Kerry's opposition to defense and military spending. The Times discomfort is obvious though.

"I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it."

The New York Times has uncovered a plot by the Bush White House to paint John Kerry as "indecisive and lacking conviction."

Wow! That Karl Rove is really clever. Just look at how they've enlisted Kerry himself in their schemes.

Just a few weeks before he voted against the $87 billion defense authorization bill, John Kerry appeared on CBS's Face the Nation.

Asked if he would vote against the $87 billion if his amendment did not pass, Kerry said, "I don't think any United States senator is going to abandon our troops and recklessly leave Iraq to whatever follows as a result of simply cutting and running. That's irresponsible."

Kerry argued that his amendment offered a way to do it properly, "but I don't think anyone in the Congress is going to not give our troops ammunition, not give our troops the ability to be able to defend themselves. We're not going to cut and run and not do the job."

Maybe He Can Land a Job With The Times

The New York Times huffily reports that a USA Today reporter has been fired for falsifying stories. Hmmm.

A Gathering of One Worlders

The Socialists have not gone away yet. In fact, they're still plotting to establish a one world government. And Hillary Clinton is in on the planning sessions.

the Beginning of a Long Decent

John Kerry's free ride is over. He doesn't share the spotlight with anyone else and people are now getting to know him. The slide begins.

Doubts About Al-Qaida Connection

Western intelligence analysts have begun to cast serious doubt on the initial claims of responsibility for the Madrid bombing.

"Western intelligence analysts doubt the credibility of a purported Al Qaida group that has threatened new attacks in Europe.

Yigal Carmon, president of the Washington-based Middle East Media Research Institute and counter-terrorism adviser to three prime ministers, said the Abu Hafs statement does not represent Al Qaida.

"The text of this statement includes linguistic usages and concepts that are incompatible with or alien to authentic Al Qaida writings by Osama Bin Laden, Dr. Ayman Al Zawahiri, and others," Carmon wrote in an analysis."

The investigation now points to a Moroccan terrorist cell which has struck before, targeting primarily Jews.

Saddam And Osama

More evidence has turned up showing that Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden did work together.

He Does Fall Down

I saw video of John Kerry riding his snowboard down a bunny slope at Sun Valley last evening and I can promise you, contrary to his indignant claim of Thursday, he does fall occasionally - maybe more often than that. He looked very unsteady to me and his technique wasn't particularly good.

The Secret Service agent who bumped him him may have contributed to his fall in front of the cameras that Kerry found so embarassing. But on a single run down the mountain, he was observed to fall all by himself at least 6 times.

And, the Secret Service agent who was guarding his life certainly did not deserve to be called a "son of a bitch."

!#@! Kerry Doesn't Fall Down

John effing Kerry fell off his snowboard, then cursed the secret service man he blamed for his tumble.

The image-conscious candidate and his aides prevailed upon reporters and photographers to let him have a first run down the mountain solo, except for two agents and Marvin Nicholson, his omnipresent right-hand man.

His next trip down, a reporter and a camera crew were allowed to follow along on skis — just in time to see Mr. Kerry taken out by one of the Secret Service men, who had inadvertently moved into his path, sending him into the snow.

When asked about the mishap a moment later, he said sharply, "I don't fall down," then used an expletive to describe the agent who "knocked me over."

The Big Mac is Okay After All

Liberals know that France has it all figured out. So, we can forget all those namby-pamby nanny-nutritionists who've been telling us that the Big Mac is going to kill us. Their French equivalents say the Big Mac is alright.

"Two top French nutritionists are telling people to go for a Big Mac and keep their fingers off the traditional French quiche.

In an unexpected message to a country priding itself on the superiority of its food, a new food guide praises the McDonald's burger for having a higher and healthier protein-to-fat ratio than France's Quiche Lorraine."

A River Run Through Wherever John Kerry Wants it To

John Kerry wanted a river to run through his Sun River, Idaho property. So, he convinced the state of Idaho to divert one.

Who Knew? AIDS is a Disease of Homosexuals

Finally, the myth of heterosexual AIDS is officially busted.

Where Has Bush Been Hiding Him?

It may be that the incredibly wiley George W. Bush is about to pull another rabbit out of his hat. Pakistani troops believe that they have Osama Bin Laden's right hand man, Ayman al-Zawahiri, surrounded and should have in hand or in a body bag soon.

Now, when American troops captured Saddam Hussein, Democrats accused Bush of having caught him earlier and simply waited until a politically opportune moment to reveal him. Even the former Secretary of State under Bill Clinton thought so.

Some have speculated that we already have Bin Laden hidden away and are waiting until just before the election to stage his capture.

For a guy who is so dumb, Democrats sure do think Bush is smart.

Europe's History is of Appeaement

Charles Krauthammer reminds us that Europe is the continent that made appeasement famous.

Europe's experience might make its pacificism understandable, "Nonetheless, it was still the cowardly alternative. And today, Spain has chosen it -- having suffered not Europe's 20 million dead of the First World War, but 200 dead in the Madrid bombing."

The World's Bug Zapper

John McCain and Russell Finegold need to get busy and author a new law banning terrorist bombings 60 days before a federal election. Al Quaeda has discovered a very effective October surprise strategy that’s more effective than soft money or even voter fraud. And, John Kerry won’t have to reward them with a night in the Lincoln bedroom. The jihadis would rather live in a cave anyway.
A few well-placed and well-timed bombs turned the Spanish election around and knocked an ally out of the war on terror. The centrist Popular Party, which had committed Spain to the war on terror was defeated over the weekend by the Socialists after 200 Spaniards were killed in an Al-Quaeda attack. A week before the election, the Popular Party held a comfortable margin in the polls. Three days after the attack, the Socialists won by 5 points.
We know whom Osama Bin Laden wants to win November’s presidential election. Isn’t it conceivable, or perhaps even likely that his terrorists will make a contribution to John Kerry’s campaign similar to the one that they gave Spain's prime minister-elect, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero?
Spain’s incoming prime minister, who could profit from lessons in civility from Ted Kennedy and Howard Dean, immediately promised that he would withdraw Spanish troops and commit Spain to a policy of appeasement. He issued a very Kerry-like pronouncement that Spain’s soldiers will be coming home unless the UN tells him to keep them there.
After accepting President Bush’s congratulations, the 43-year old declared, "The war in Iraq was a disaster, the occupation of Iraq is a disaster."
Certainly it was a disaster for Islamofascism, but the rest of the world is better off.
"Wars such as that which has occurred in Iraq only allow hatred, violence and terror to proliferate," he continued.
But considering that leftists like Zapatero and Kerry blame hopelessness and poverty for terrorism, the Iraq war is anything but a disaster. Today, 57% of Iraqis say their life is better than it was under Saddam and 70% expect things to get even better. It seems that Iraqis have a more hopeful view of their future than the average liberal Democrat in this country. Lifting Iraq out of the quagmire of hopelessness has stricken it from the list of terrorist breeding grounds. Show me how that is disastrous.
Kerry’s “multilateralism” may be the biggest casualty of the bombing. Spain’s presence in Iraq was mostly symbolic, as will be their exit. What their exit symbolizes is European timidity and unreliability.
The head of the EU’s executive arm, European Commission chief Romano Prodi, told Italy's La Stampa newspaper that, "It is clear that using force is not the answer to resolving the conflict with terrorists. Terrorism is infinitely more powerful than a year ago. " He told the paper that, after the Spanish bombings, all of Europe now feels threatened.
If Prodi is right about the mood of Europe, then it’s clear that the entire continent would prefer to live on its knees than stand up to terrorism. Appeasers are the sort who would happily feed Americans and Britons to the alligators so that they might be eaten last.
European appeasers might not approve of the United States as the world’s policeman, but they’re perfectly comfortable with the United States as the world’s bug zapper, attracting the attention of terrorists and hopefully killing them before they can disturb topless sunbathers on the Mediterranean coast.
The French in particular will never stand at our side in the war on terror so long as they are confident that we have the will to carry the load alone and spare them having to wash and press their uniforms. Historically, the French lack the stomach to fight on their own soil for their own freedom. For crying out loud, these people expect others to pick up the crap their poodles drop on the sidewalks of Paris!
Another reason for “old Europe’s” unreliability as an ally is that Europeans are too lazy to even reproduce on their own. They have to import Arabs to fill their unskilled labor market. Many of these immigrants are now voters whom politicians are fearful of offending.
Can anyone really imagine that they would make one sacrifice or endure the slightest hardship for us?

There's Somebody Lower Than Dean?

Dean supporters have announced that they are going to use their organization to promote lower level candidates.

How about Dennis Kucinich or Al Sharpton? Are either of them low enough? Wesley Clark maybe?

And Kerry Says We Have No Significant Allies?

Pakistan has committed 70,000 troops to the war on Al Quaeda. They seem to have gotten Bin Laden's right hand man. Does that make Pakistan a significant ally?

More Evidence that Kerry Was At The Assassination Meeting

The Vietnam Veterans against the War once seriously considered assassinating politicians that favored the war. Kerry claims he wasn't at the meeting. A witness says otherwise.

How Low Can Spain Bow

Spain continues to arrest conspirators in the Madrid train bombing. How long before Al Quaeda demands a release of prisoners? And what will Zapatero do?

Therea Heinz Backing the Wrong Side of the War on Terror

Mrs John Kerry has been sending money to a group which opposes the United States in the war on terror.

A Simple Tramp

Courtney Love give radical Islam another reason to hate us.

McCain Angling for the VP?

John McCain, who'll do anything to attract attention to himself, has taken it upon himself to undermine the Bush campaign.

Hiding Your Wealth

It wouldn't do for a man-of-the-people to have a multi-million dollar Italian mansion. That's probably why the haughty, French looking Vietnam veteran sold his place just before announcing his candidacy.

Saddam's Take - $10.1 billion

So far, the GAO has accounted for $10,100,000,000 of UN administered Oil for Food money that went into Saddam Hussein's pockets. We still don't know how much the UN administrators skimmed yet. Nor do we have a full accounting of how much was used to bribe foreign leaders - the sort of people who endorse John Kerry for example.

Another Foreign Leader Endorses Kerry

The endorsements continue to roll in for John Kerry. Let's see. So far, Kerry has the endorsement of a Stalinist dictator, a socialist appeaser, and now a virulently anti-Semitic former prime minister of Malaysia.

Why isn't Kerry bragging about these endorsements?

The Rascally Republicans

They've tricked Kerry again.

Mickey Kaus marvels at how the diabolical Republicans manage to tie John Kerry in knots yet again.

"The Republican attack machine has now gone so far as to have Senator Kerry say memorably mockable things like:

"I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it."

They will stop at nothing, I tell you. At least the Democrats have a candidate smart enough to avoid playing into the public's just-forming impression of him as a straddler and positioner. That's why he's so electable! ..."

I Prefer to Call Them, "The Axis of Weasels"

Thomas Friedman now places Spain on the roster of what he calls, "The Axis of Appeasement."

"The new Spanish government's decision to respond to the attack by Al Qaeda by going ahead with plans to pull its troops from Iraq constitutes the most dangerous moment we've faced since 9/11. It's what happens when the Axis of Evil intersects with the Axis of Appeasement and the Axis of Incompetence."

And Ruth Bader-Ginsburg Won't Recuse Herself From Cases Involving NOW

Elite opinion is piqued that Justice Antonin Scalia refuses to recuse himself from a case involving Vice President Dick Cheney. It seems that the two went duck hunting together recently and, according to liberals, this makes it impossible for Scalia to render a fair ruling on a separation powers case.

These same elitests have yet to demand that Ruth Bader-Ginsburg recuse herself from issues of interests to feminists and homosexuals, even though she is a regular speaker for the National Organization for Women

Now That's a Campaign Contribution!

Washington Governor Gary Locke was prepared to veto a $31.6 million dollar contruction bill for Washington State University's Spokane campus. This would have been a very justifiable veto. The state is very short on money and the Spokane campus has so far only managed to attract what are generously called, "high maintenance students." This is hardlys surprising as WSU's main campus is only 70 miles away.
From the beginning, WSU-Spokane has been a pork barrell project for the benefit of high maintenance Spokane politicians. And so it remains. Locke was talked out of the veto by three Spokane Democratic legislators, all of whom are up for re-election this fall and could use the boost.

Speech Ain't As Free in Europe

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is about to discover that Europeans are such cowards that they don't even allow freedom of speech.

An animal rights group said on Wednesday it would go ahead with a controversial advertising campaign that likens the slaughter of animals to the murder of Jews under the Nazis despite threats of a legal challenge.


Paul Spiegel, president of the Central Council of Jews, said he would ask prosecutors to raise charges of "inciting racial hatred" against vegetarian group People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for the advertisements called "Holocaust on a plate."

Democracy in Syria?

Another domino may soon fall as Bashir Assad's Ba'athist government is threatened by anti-government, pro-democracy insurgents. Don't think that the emergence of Democracy in Iraq has nothing to do with it. But, when it finally happens, you can expect Democrats to giver credit to Bill Clinton, just as they did with Libya's capitulation.

This is Why We're Fighting Them

Why are people shocked when terrorists do things like this? We are at war with terrorists. We fight by killing the terrorists and they fight by bombing civilians. That's why we have to kill them all.

It's About Damned Time

The big lie in college sports can be summed up in the ironic term, "student athlete." Colleges use the players they recruit to generate publicity and revenue, supposedly in exchange for an education and a better life. No one really believes that.

Now, the NCAA says it's about to get tough on that. We'll see.

"Troubled by the persistently poor graduation rates of basketball and football players, the National Collegiate Athletic Association plans to start punishing schools whose athletes continue to underperform in the classroom.

The proposal, which the NCAA Board of Directors is expected to enthusiastically adopt next month, is being hailed by NCAA President Myles Brand as the final and critical piece of a package of changes designed to boost graduation rates and put the student back into the often-mocked term, student-athlete."

Kerry Only Admires America-Haters

John Kerry "speaks as if only those who openly oppose America's objectives have a chance of earning his respect."

Dick Cheney gets right to the meat of John Kerry in this speech, given yesterday, March 17.

Do Something Useful Congress

With the Oil For Food scandal reaching the very top of the UN bureaucracy, it's apparent that we can expect no accounting from that body. The Wall Street Journal thinks that it's about time that Congress looked into it.

"After months of stonewalling, Secretary General Kofi Annan conceded Tuesday that the program was worthy of an internal investigation. It's a step forward, but it's not nearly enough for an organization that so far has shown it can't be trusted to police itself. That's why the April hearings by Henry Hyde's House Committee on International Relations will be so important. Oil for Food is a legitimate U.S. concern, for reasons that go well beyond the fact that U.S. taxpayers foot about a quarter of the U.N.'s bills."

We do deserve to know how our billions are being spent and we need to know how trustworthy is a body that the Democratic presidential nominee would subordinate our self-defense to.

It's Not Nice To Anger Ann Coulter

And she's really PO'ed this time.

The New York Times called the Spanish election "an exercise in healthy democracy." And an ATM withdrawal with a gun to your head is a "routine banking transaction." Instead of vowing to fight the people who killed their fellow citizens, the Spanish decided to vote with al-Qaida on the war. A murdering terrorist organization said, "Jump!" and an entire country answered, "How high?"

And, she's just getting started. Next she warms to her task.

But, like the Democrats, the Spanish hate George Bush more than they hate the terrorists. Zapatero said the war in Iraq was based on "lies" and called on President Bush and Tony Blair to "do some reflection and self-criticism." So don't think of the Spanish election as a setback for freedom – think of it as a preview of life under President John Kerry!

What kind of lunatic would blame Bush for 200 Spaniards killed by al-Qaida bombs? Oh wait – Howard Dean just did. Summarizing the views of socialists everywhere, Dean said: "The president was the one who dragged our troops to Iraq, which apparently has been a factor in the death of 200 Spaniards over the weekend."

And finally, she hits full throttle.

So now Kerry really does have two foreign leaders on record supporting him: a Socialist terrorist-appeaser and a Marxist mass murderer who dresses like Bea Arthur.

Another Foreign Leader for Kerry

The group that claims credit for the Madrid bombing attempts to use Br'er Rabbit's logic to trick American voters into voting for John Kerry.

The statement said it supported President Bush in his reelection campaign, and would prefer him to win in November rather than the Democratic candidate John Kerry, as it was not possible to find a leader "more foolish than you (Bush), who deals with matters by force rather than with wisdom."

In comments addressed to Bush, the group said:

"Kerry will kill our nation while it sleeps because he and the Democrats have the cunning to embellish blasphemy and present it to the Arab and Muslim nation as civilization."

"Because of this we desire you (Bush) to be elected."

Sorry guys. We all had that story read to us when we still in the crib.

Yeah? So What Would You Do Better?

Once again John Kerry tells us that Bush is doing everything wrong. But, he doesn't offer any real specifics about what he could do better.

"We are still bogged down in Iraq and the administration stubbornly holds to failed policies that drive potential allies away. What we have seen is a steady loss of lives and mounting cost in dollars with no end in sight," he said. "The lesson here is fundamental: At times, conflict comes, and the decision must be made. For a president, the decision may be lonely, but that does not mean that America should go it alone."

Yep! We should rely more upon allies like the French, the Germans and (ahem) the Spanish.

Aristide's Corruption

John Kerry has savaged the Bush Administration for not propping up the Haitian dictator Jean Bertand Aristide. But, is this really the kind of fellow we want to put our blood, treasure and prestige behind?

"As he resigned on Feb. 29, Aristide was no longer the democratically elected leader of his country. Rather, in recent years, Aristide and his supporters had resorted to a systematic campaign of authoritarian intimidation that had transformed Haiti into a pseudo-democracy riddled with corruption. The Organization of American States has indicated as much, by urging all parties to work toward the "development of a fully inclusive democratic process in the common interest."

Kerry's Flip Floppery

Who but Kerry could have composed a line like this?

Responding to criticism that he voted against supporting the troops in Iraq, "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it."

That clears things up nicely.

The Alligator Promises to Eat Spain Last

Appeasers are the sort of people who will thrown friends to the alligators hoping that the alligator will eat them last. Well, it seems to have worked for prime minister-elect Zapatero. The terrorists have promised a cease fire in exchange for Spain's promise to abandon Iraq.

The Class of the Democrats

It was bad enough when Howard Dean tried to score political points Sunday morning by claiming that the Madrid bombings "prove" that the war on terror hasn't made the world any safer. No, Howard Dean had to sink even lower by blaming Bush for the Madrid bombings.

The Working Man's Hero Chills

John Kerry is taking a break from the company of people with dirt under their fingernails.

Clinton Let Bin Laden Slip Away

In the fall of 2000, the US military literally had Bin Laden in its crosshairs.

The tape proves the Clinton administration was aggressively tracking al-Qaida a year before 9/11. But that also raises one enormous question: If the U.S. government had bin Laden and the camps in its sights in real time, why was no action taken against them?

“We were not prepared to take the military action necessary,” said retired Gen. Wayne Downing, who ran counter-terror efforts for the current Bush administration and is now an NBC analyst.


“We should have had strike forces prepared to go in and react to this intelligence, certainly cruise missiles — either air- or sea-launched — very, very accurate, could have gone in and hit those targets,” Downing added.

For I'm sure very European reasons, Clinton didn't want to kill Bin Laden. He wanted to capture and try him.

That failure does not speak well for Kerry's plan to return the war on terror to the realm of law enforcement.

Revolution in Iran?

Iran may be on the brink of revolution. I'd happily lose one member from the coalition of the willing if the Axis of Evil loses one too.

Italy in the Crosshairs?

Italy fears that it will be Al Quaeda's next target.

If it happens, Italy will have an opportunity to disprove all the cliche's about its courage.

Even the New York Times Has Noticed

Kerry's silence on Spain has attracted even the notice of the New York Times. Kerry's campaign gives this squirrelly explanation. "Democrats inside and outside Mr. Kerry's campaign said on Monday that the situation in Spain now was too uncertain and delicate to use politically."

This is just the sort of courage that we've come to expect from Kerry over the last 30 years. And, it's probably the kind of courage we could expect from a Kerry presidency.

John Kerry's Foreign Leaders and American Elites

Ben Shapiro notes that Kerry's appeal to the common folk has faded, but his popularity among the elites has never been higher.

John Kerry, Terrorist Underwriter?

For the last couple of years, Democrats have accused George Bush of aiding terrorists because he won't support higher gas mileage standards or ban gas guzzling SUV's. The irony that Democrats oppose domestic oil production seems to have gone unnoticed.

Terence Jeffrey points out another irony. Massachussetts liberals are fighting the development of a pollution-free, terrorist-free, global warming-free windfarm off the coast of Nantucket Island.

"Kerry's not a warmonger; he's just a windbag. And never was this more apparent than when his environmentally correct energy policy ran aground on Horseshoe Shoal -- where a company specializing in clean energy production would like to build a windmill farm in the very body of water that sits between Kerry's home on Nantucket and the Kennedy compound in Hyannisport."

Kerry's Inopportune Silence

The ultimate oppotunist has been uncharacteristically silent about Spain's withdrawal from the Alliance of the Willing.

"Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has spent two days claiming that U.S.-British policy was built on "lies," that the occupation has been a "disaster," and that his goal is to shift Madrid's allegiance back toward France and Germany.
All of this is a splendid chance for Mr. Kerry to step up and defend American interests. At the very least, he might call Mr. Zapatero's remarks unfortunate. He could express sympathy for the Spanish people but go on to say that all Americans, no matter what their party and differences on strategy, stand united in fighting terrorism and won't be stampeded by threats. He might also note that the war on terror will require help from all nations and urge Mr. Zapatero to reconsider his intention to separate Spain from the U.S."

But, Kerry did none of those things. He has found it politically safer to pretend that the last week never happened.

Old Europe vs. New Europe

Hungarian Defense Minister takes issue with Spain. "It sends a very negative message when a country withdraws its troups on account of terror. This sends a message that we are weak, and that terrorism is viable. It is precisely by our presence [in Iraq] that we can put the squeeze on terror, that is how we localize and restrain terror attacks..."

Or, if you prefer it in the original Hungarian.

Cleaning Up After Osama

We now have a clear idea of John Kerry's plan for the war on terror. He intends to focus on cleaning up the mess left by terrorists.

Al Quaeda's October Surprise

Clearly Osama Bin Laden is overjoyed by his success in Spain. No doubt he'll try to do the same for John Kerry.

Iraqi Economy Booming

It would appear that the 70% of Iraqis who believe that their lives will get better have a sound basis for their optimism.

Appeasement For Oil?

It would appear that the French had a $100 billion stake in appeasing Saddam Hussein and obstructing the United States. And John Kerry thinks we should allow the French to dictate our foreign policy?

Isn't War the Number One Issue?

John Kerry is accusing Bush of "using" 9/11 as a political prop. I'm sorry Mr. Kerry, but we are in World War Three and you're the one criticizing its conduct. Your party has accused Bush of staging 9/11 and of cooking up the Iraq war to win congressional seats.

September 11 is a legitimate issue, particularly as you have voted on numerous occasions to weaken our defense and our military.

Too Much Light on Kerry

Now that voters are getting a close look at John Kerry without those other clowns competing for air time, he doesn't look quite so good. After briefly enjoying a large lead in the polls over Bush, he has fallen behind.

I think that the Spanish situation will do more to undermine Kerry as Americans will appreciate how perilous it is to rely upon others to defend us.

Washington Post Scolds Spain

The Washington Post understands the danger Zapateros intemperate statements and policies will have on the rest of the world.

"SPANISH VOTERS no doubt wished to rebuke the ruling Popular Party for its wrong-footed reaction to last week's terrorist bombing in Madrid, and its support for the United States in Iraq. Fair enough -- but it's hard not to be concerned about how the message was likely received outside the country, by the leaders of al Qaeda and other Islamic terrorist organizations. Before the bombing, the Popular Party was favored to win comfortably; after the devastating attack, and an al Qaeda statement saying its intent was to punish Spain for its role in Iraq, the election was swept by the opposition -- and its leader immediately pledged to withdraw Spanish troops and cool relations with Washington. The rash response by Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Spain's prime minister-elect, will probably convince the extremists that their attempt to sway Spanish policy with mass murder succeeded brilliantly."
And finally: ""It is clear that using force is not the answer to resolving the conflict with terrorists," European Commission President Romano Prodi said yesterday. Should such sentiments prevail, the next U.S. administration -- whether led by President Bush or Sen. John F. Kerry -- may have no alternative to unilateralism."

And We've Been Fighting This Battle For Spain Too

I believe that Spaniards will soon be suffering buyer's regret as their new prime minister will continue to embarass them. Here's one bit of news that will facilitate that feeling.

"MADRID, Spain - Police said Tuesday they have detained an Algerian who allegedly talked about a terrorist attack in Madrid two months before it happened, and the death toll in the bombings rose to 201."

This will cause Spaniards to squirm because the United States, entirely on its own, has been rooting out Algerian terrorts in northern Africa. These cells supply most of the terrorists that now afflict Europe.

Help For Kerry

A foreign leader willing to pray for Kerry.

Most Iraqis See Their Life as Better

This is what the new socialist prime minister of Spain calls a "disaster."

Not only do most Iraqis prefer their life today to that under Saddam, but 71% expect things to get even better. Considering that the left blames terrorism on hopelessness, it would seem that Iraq is an unlikely place for terrorists to spawn. Isn't that a victory in the war on terror?.

Just What Sort of Leftist Are You?

The Sierra Club can't decide if it's for or against immigration restrictions. One faction favor limiting immigration to prevent environmental damage done by over-population. The other side wants open borders for the same reason all other leftists do: to dilute American culture and flood the future voting rolls with Democrats.

Taking Comfort From His Lies

John Kerry has been taking some rather moderate positions since running for the presidency. His leftist base is sticking with him because they know he doesn't mean a word of it.

It Took Them A While, And The NY Times Hopes You Stop Reading

The New York Times is still indignant that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia went duck hunting with Vice President Dick Cheney, when a case involving Cheney is before the court.

Until forced to, the Times elected to overlook Justice Ruth Bader-Ginsburg's schmoozing with the National Organization for Women, which also has a case pending.

The Times' headline and most of the editorial roasts Scalia. You have to more than two-thirds of the way into the editorial before you find this modest paragraph.

"This problem is not Justice Scalia's alone. On the other side of the court's ideological spectrum, as another L.A. Times article noted, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg maintains involvement in a lecture series named for her that is co-sponsored by New York City's bar association and the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund, which frequently participates in Supreme Court cases. Justice Ginsburg is relatively circumspect in her public remarks, but it's still unwise for her to retain an ongoing affiliation with such an active advocacy and litigation group."

And Not One Dollar From The National Endowment For The Arts

A man has just announced the world's biggest paintball.

Ignoring Alarms

John Kerry claimed that he was way ahead of everyone on the issue of terrorism. I don't recall that, but I do know that he also blind and deaf when security lapses were shoved under his nose.

How the Quadaffi Crumbles

Democrats have been claiming that George Bush deserves no credit for Libyan dictator Muammar Quadaffi's capitulation on the issue of WMD's.
Here's the real story.

Four events were critical to convincing Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi to get rid of his previously secret nuclear-weapons program, according to U.S. and British officials, Western diplomats in Tripoli and a key adviser to Col. Qaddafi.

It was not patient diplomacy, although that helped. Nor was it a U.S. or British desire to rehabilitate Qaddafi. Instead, it was a combination of implied threats and U.S. and British actions on the high seas and in Iraq that convinced Qaddafi he had not a moment to lose before his government became the next Axis of Evil regime in U.S. gun sights. The story of how the Bush administration achieved a bloodless victory in Libya demonstrates how force and the credible threat of force are needed for the tools of intelligence and diplomacy to work.

"Until Sept. 11, Qaddafi was hoping he could carry on with a clandestine nuclear-weapons program and get away with it," a Western diplomat in Tripoli tells Insight. But when he saw the response of the Bush administration in Afghanistan, "he realized he couldn't keep going as before."

After defeating the Taliban in Afghanistan, President George W. Bush stepped up his war of words against Saddam Hussein, warning that weapons of mass destruction in the hands of regimes known to sponsor terror presented an unacceptable threat to the United States. "Qaddafi heard those words and recognized himself," a U.S. official said. "He believed the president's words were aimed at him."

Europe Would Rather Live On Its Knees

The head of the EU executive arm, European Commission chief Romano Prodi made it clear that Europe has no stomach for standing up to terrorism.

"It is clear that using force is not the answer to resolving the conflict with terrorists," Prodi said. "Terrorism is infinitely more powerful than a year ago," and all of Europe now feels threatened, he told Italy's La Stampa newspaper.

Will The 21st. Century Belong To Europe?

Conceding that the 20th. century (and the 19th for that matter) belonged to the United States, Europe is hoping that it will dominate the 21st.

They're not off to a good start.

But, as Mark Steyn notes: [What] " “old Europe” – wants to know is: what will it take to nobble the Yanks? Or, to be more accurate, what will it take for the Yanks to nobble themselves? The corollary to the Euro-Canadian redefinition of “great power” is that a lone cowboy who sticks to tired concepts like guns’n’ammo is bound to come a cropper. As Matthew Parris put it last week, “we should ask whether America does have the armies, the weaponry, the funds, the economic clout and the democratic staying power to carry all before her in the century ahead. How many wars on how many fronts could she sustain at once? How much fighting can she fund? How much does she need to export? Is she really unchallenged by any other economic bloc?”

My colleague is falling prey to theories of “imperial overstretch”. But, if you’re not imperial, it’s quite difficult to get overstretched. By comparison with 19th century empires, the Americans travel light. More to the point, their most obvious “overstretch” is in their historically unprecedented generosity to putative rivals: unlike traditional imperialists, they garrison not remote ramshackle colonies but their wealthiest allies. The US picks up the defence tab for Europe, Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia, among others. As Americans have learned in the last 18 months, absolving wealthy nations of the need to maintain their own armies does not pay off in the long run. This overstretch is over. If Bush wins a second term, the boys will be coming home from South Korea and Germany, and maybe Japan, too. So the EU will begin the second decade of the century with an excellent opportunity to test Mr Lipponen’s theory: it can either will the means to maintain a credible defence, or it can try to live as the first “superpower” with no means of defence. In other words, the first victim of American overstretch will not be America but Europe."


And Mark Steyn predicts that it will only get worse as low birth rates will force European counties to import their work force from Arab countries. "Worst case scenario: Sharia, circa 2070."

You Mean, It Wasn't Clinton's Doing?

Democrats have been claiming all along that Bill Clinton deserves the credit for Libya dictator Muammar Qaddafi's sudden reversal on the issue of nuclear and chemical weapons.

No way Jose. Muammar was scared of George W. Bush.

"It was not patient diplomacy, although that helped. Nor was it a U.S. or British desire to rehabilitate Qaddafi. Instead, it was a combination of implied threats and U.S. and British actions on the high seas and in Iraq that convinced Qaddafi he had not a moment to lose before his government became the next Axis of Evil regime in U.S. gun sights. The story of how the Bush administration achieved a bloodless victory in Libya demonstrates how force and the credible threat of force are needed for the tools of intelligence and diplomacy to work.

"Until Sept. 11, Qaddafi was hoping he could carry on with a clandestine nuclear-weapons program and get away with it," a Western diplomat in Tripoli tells Insight. But when he saw the response of the Bush administration in Afghanistan, "he realized he couldn't keep going as before."

"He absolutely did not want to engage the enemy when I was with him."

If John Kerry wants to bring up George W. Bush's service during the Vietnam War, then it's perfectly fair to reexamine John Kerry's record. Yes, he has medals, but not everybody remembers John Kerry as John Kerry would like.

According to Steven Gardner, a gunner's mate on Kerry's boat, "His initial patterns of behaviour when I met him and served under him were of somebody who ran from the enemy, rather than engaged it."

Odd isn't it that Kerry's biographer, Douglas Brinkley, couldn't find Steven Gardner when he was recalling Kerry's bravery and leadership?

"That's none of your business."

That was John Kerry's response to a question at a town meeting in Pennsylvannia. He was asked for the names of the "foreign leaders" who, according to Kerry, were praying for him to win in November.

"I have heard from people around the world that they look forward to the day they would have an administration they could work with," he said.

Since Kerry brought it up in the first place, hasn't he made it our business?

Expect an October Surprise, From Al Quaeda

Al Quaeda now knows that it can influence elections with well-timed bombs. We know who Al Qaeda would prefer having in the White House, so we can expect a similar attack here just before the November election.

Clearly an accomplished ironist, the incoming socialist prime minister declared, ""My most immediate priority is to beat all forms of terrorism."

He plans to achieve this by quivering in fear and taking care not to offend Osama Bin Laden.

Answer the Question Mr. Kerry

John Kerry still has not named the "foreign leaders" who are "praying" for him to win in November. So far, only North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il has publicly expressed his support for Kerry. And, I think we can safely conclude that Osama Bin Laden is a big Kerry fan too.

He claimed that he made these contacts travelling abroad, but he hasn't been out of the country for quite a while and it's been longer than that since he's met with any foreign leaders anywhere.

But, he's being challenged to name names. So far, he has refused.

First, Secretary of State Colin Powell asked for names: "I don't know what foreign leaders Senator Kerry is talking about," Powell said on "Fox News Sunday." "It's an easy charge, an easy assertion to make. But if he feels it is that important an assertion to make, he ought to list some names. If he can't list names, then perhaps he should find something else to talk about."

And, more tellingly, Cedric Brown, at a town meeting repeatedly asked Kerry to fill in the blanks. Kerry of course, refused to answer. Afterwards Cedric Brown concluded, "If he's lying about something so simple as this, you have to wonder whether a President Kerry would be an honest person. I wanted to give him an opportunity to defend his lie. He gave a nonanswer, which tells me he's lying."

Saddam's Coalition of The Bribed?

The Wall Street Journal wants to know who among American anti-war critics got money from Saddam.

"A year ago John Kerry described the nations that would liberate Iraq as a "coalition of the bribed, the coerced, the bought and the extorted." It turns out that may be a better description of his own antiwar camp. From Jacques Chirac's and Vladimir Putin's political cronies to Tony Blair's own Labour Party, many of the most vocal opponents of enforcing U.N. resolutions turn out to have been on the take."

We know that a lot of Saddam's money went to Denver businessman Shakir al-Khafaji, who then dispensed it to - whom? Supposedly David Bonior was a recipient. Bonior went to Baghdad with representative Jim McDermott, D-Seattle who also got money from al-Khafaji, to call President Bush a liar on Iraqi soil. John Conyers of Michigan has also benefitted from al-Khafaji's generosity.

Was all this money originally from the hopelessly corrupt UN Oil-For-Food program? Was Saddam assembling his own coalition of the bribed?

Nice Try Socialist Pigs!

Spain's leftists tried to win last minute votes by blaming the Madrid bomb blasts on the ruling party, precisely what the terrorists hoped they would do.

Put Up or Shut Up

Earlier this week, John Kerry claimed to have had private converstations with world leaders in which they told him that they were praying for him to defeat George W. Bush in November. Colin Powell demands names, other than North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il and Osama Bin Laden that is.

"I don't know what foreign leaders Senator Kerry is talking about. It's an easy charge, an easy assertion to make. But if he feels it is that important an assertion to make, he ought to list some names," Powell said. "If he can't list names, then perhaps he should find something else to talk about."

Kneejerk Environmentalist Wackos

Aliso Viejo, California was so worried about the health perils of dihydrogen monoxide, that they considering banning it - until someone told them that it was also known as "water."

There Really is a Team Called the Watersmeet Nimrods

I had assumed that the ESPN commercial was about an entirely fictional town and high school. Turns out it's a real place, a real school and there mascot really is the Nimrods.

And, they've been making a fortune off their new notoriety.

David Broder Thinks He Has Found a Courageous Democrat

David Broder believes that he has found something rare - a courageous Democrat. It's telling that when a Democrat exhibits the faintest scintilla of political courage, David Broder feels compelled to highlight it. But, when you read the column, you quickly realize that David Broder has low expectations for his party.

Barney Frank blames all the same things that every other left wing wacko blames the jobless recovery on and cites all the (wrong) cliches. Then, he offers his "bold solution" - more government!

Oh! How original! No Democrat has ever thought of that before.

But David Broder is impressed: "By doing so, he carried the jobs debate to a level where the policy choices become so basic -- and challenging -- that ordinary pols and pundits fear to tread."

I'm sure Republicans are quaking in their boots after this show of bravery from the other side of the aisle.

Mark Steyn Fries The Seattle Post-Intelligenser

Recently, a woman who worked for four Democratic congressmen and the Seattle-PI was arrested for spying for Iraq. But, the PI saw fit to higlight her distant cousin in the White House, chief of staff Andrew Card.

Mark Steyn fries the PI.

Anyone who wants to understand why the media are held in such low regard by the public -- in polls of the most respected professions we usually come somewhere between Nigerian e-mail scammers and serial pedophiles -- should consider the following headline from an Associated Press story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer last week:

''Accused Spy Is Cousin Of Bush Staffer''

Mark Steyn has a test for the editors of the PI:

1. Name all your second cousins.

2. Where do they live?

3. When did you last see them?