I’m going to complain. I promise it will be short. It’s freezing, abominably windy, snow on the ground, night will fall in what seems like just a few minutes. And I have a cold. But at least the power isn’t … Continue reading →
Iraqis don’t seem to be happy with the ISG report, either (see this). I have a question: if the Republicans had won the election, would we even be hearing much about this report? After all, it’s been brewing since last … Continue reading →
[Please see this post on forgetting Pearl Harbor.] We’ve all learned about Pearl Harbor, but here are some details that I found especially interesting in light of 9/11. Despite having a lot of information that a Japanese attack was coming … Continue reading →
Sixty-five years ago today Pearl Harbor was attacked. That’s long enough ago that only the elderly remember the day and its aftermath with any clarity. Several generations–including my own tiresome one, the baby boomers–have come up since then, and the … Continue reading →
The Washington Post headline: “Experts: Syria, Iran willing to aid USA.” Article by the AP, naturally. What alternative universe do headline writers live in, I wonder? Reporting on the fact that the Iraq Study Group believes that Syria and Iran … Continue reading →
I’m a bit underwhelmed by the Iraq Study Group report “The Way Forward: A New Approach” (see this and this). It reminds me of the usual recommendations by committee; you’re familiar with the genre, I’m sure. “New approach?” Hardly. I … Continue reading →
The new Sanity Squad podcast is up. This week we discuss Bolton’s leavetaking–and whether it even matters, given what the UN has become. We also offer our take on allegations that the AP is playing fast and loose with the … Continue reading →
Once again, I want to remind people to ignore trolls. I plan soon to be getting enough time to redesign the blog in order to better deal with them. Till then, the best thing to do is ignore them rather … Continue reading →
I haven’t said anything much so far about Hugo Chavez, who recently won the Venezuelan election handily. Take a look at what Fausta’s written about it for some perspective. It’s a sorry tale but not an unfamiliar one: demagoguery, Leftism, … Continue reading →
One major element in my political change process was my loss of faith in the MSM based on something as simple, and easily checkable, as its reporting of the speeches of public figures. I say “easily checkable,” because, with the … Continue reading →
Michael Barone is one who doesn’t see Bush’s promise to persevere in Iraq as a joke and/or a travesty and/or an outrage. Neither does John McCain, who disagrees with the details of Bush’s policy, but sees “staying the course” with … Continue reading →
…(or–forgive the pun–perhaps “oxymorons?”) Historian Vincent J. Cannato has an op-ed in the Washington Post rightly critical of historians’ tendency to make instant judgments of Presidencies, both of Bush and others. I always thought historians were those who wrote about … Continue reading →