Happy Easter!
Happy Easter! Hope it’s as beautiful where you are as it has been where I am.
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Cliff walks east and west
I was in San Francisco for a week, and never before have I seen such an uninterrupted stretch of beautiful weather in a city known for fog and cold even in summer. It’s spring, and the blooming flowers were out—some … Continue reading →
And for the home audience….
In my post yesterday I talked about the propaganda value the hostages had for Iran: As I’ve written before, [the propaganda of the event] is a winning situation for the Iranians, both for internal consumption and external. They are made … Continue reading →
Sticks and warships will break my will?
Well, Kenneth Timmerman seems to think that the stick for the Iranians was the USS Nimitz “steaming” towards the Persian Gulf. “Steaming” is a bit of an anachronism, but you get the idea. Timmerman’s sources for inside info about the … Continue reading →
Negotiations and that big stick
The commenter known as “unknown blogger” wrote in the previous thread: “Impotent.” “Weak.” “They must have cut a deal.” [quoting those who criticize the Blair government’s public handling of the affair]. Tsk, tsk. Such a tremendous amount of disappointment around … Continue reading →
The British hostages: catch and release
[NOTE: I’ve got an exceptionally busy day today, and so this will be briefer than usual, despite the importance of the news.] The British hostages have been freed (or are in the process of being freed) by Iran. This is … Continue reading →
Sanity Squad podcast: the theater of negotiations
The Sanity Squad has another podcast up at Pajamas, this time on the topic of negotiating from strength. Join Siggy, Shrink, Dr. Sanity, and me for a discussion of the perplexing decline of the Western spine. [Lyricist extraordinaire Dr. Sanity, … Continue reading →
How to talk to the enemy: first, understand it’s an enemy
I’ve been perplexed by the weak reaction of so many officials in Britain to the ongoing hostage crisis. Whoops! I used the “h” word. Apparently that’s a no-no; this Time article reports that President Bush was criticized roundly by John … Continue reading →
Hillary needs to brush up on her Constitution
Candidate Clinton seems to think a President ought not to exercise the veto power given the holder of the office by the Constitution. Today she criticized Bush for suggesting he would veto a troop withdrawal bill. That, said Hillary, would … Continue reading →
Against premature troop withdrawal? Try PAC
Armed Liberal is doing some important work here and here. All who oppose the Congressional drive for a precipitous troop withdrawal from Iraq should take a look.
Continue reading →Scientists and the long and winding road of research: Star Wars and Arrow
An article entitled “”Arrow can now fully protect against Iran” describes how Israel seems to have developed a promising anti-missile defense system. Sounds good to me—if in fact it’s true. It may just be psych-ops bluster, of course, a way … Continue reading →
Following in Churchill’s footsteps: reratting
[HINT: please note the date!] If you’re a regular reader here, you probably already know that Winston Churchill is my idol—well, one of my idols, anyway, along with all the contestants on “American Idol,” Billy Idol, and idle chatter. One … Continue reading →