Tonight's musical guest U2
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July 31, 2006
July 30, 2006
Maxims to Die By
When looking at military matters, its helpful to know your maxims. These are carefully though out sayings that impart great wisdom. Or give the appearance of doing so. Bonus points if it was first said by Napoleon or Sun Tzu. Good military analysis lives and dies by the quality of its maxims. A very good one is "amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics." Or the classic "All warfare is based on deception." Also good is "Never get involved in a land war in Asia." And the always notable "Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!"
But my personal favorite, which I first heard here (not sure where he got it) is "Your battle-plan always gets fucked up as soon as the enemy arrives, that's why he is called The Enemy."
So keep that one in mind when you go and read this analysis about the Israeli-Hezbollah war. Its not going according to plan.
But my personal favorite, which I first heard here (not sure where he got it) is "Your battle-plan always gets fucked up as soon as the enemy arrives, that's why he is called The Enemy."
So keep that one in mind when you go and read this analysis about the Israeli-Hezbollah war. Its not going according to plan.
July 29, 2006
What Friends Do
This is a great point:
The Christopher piece points to an important role that America can play in the Middle East, which we aren't playing now. We can solve a common political problem in the region that runs something like this: Islamic militants do something vicious that creates Israeli demand for a violent response. While Israeli leaders are under domestic political pressure to shoot back, they can only do so in a way that harms large number of civilians, derailing the peace process and driving people into the miliants' arms. They don't want to do this, but political pressure forces their hands. The shooting begins, and that's when America steps in and negotiates some settlement between the two sides. Israel needs us to do this for them, since the leaders don't want to look like weak compromisers. As Christopher says: "A succession of Israeli leaders has turned to us, and only us, when they have concluded that retaliation for Hezbollah attacks has become counterproductive. Israel plainly trusts no one else to negotiate on its behalf and will accept no settlement in which we are not deeply involved."
Imagine yourself back on the schoolyard. Words are exchanged, and it look like your about to get into a fight. What do your friends do? They hold you back. You can't back down with looking like a wimp, but he's bigger than you and the Principal with have you locked in detention for months if he sees this. So thank God your friends are holding you back. You can say that jerk would have got whats coming to him, if only. And no black eyes. A good friend will save you from yourself. Will help you do what you can't do on your own. That's not what we are doing for Israel.
The Christopher piece points to an important role that America can play in the Middle East, which we aren't playing now. We can solve a common political problem in the region that runs something like this: Islamic militants do something vicious that creates Israeli demand for a violent response. While Israeli leaders are under domestic political pressure to shoot back, they can only do so in a way that harms large number of civilians, derailing the peace process and driving people into the miliants' arms. They don't want to do this, but political pressure forces their hands. The shooting begins, and that's when America steps in and negotiates some settlement between the two sides. Israel needs us to do this for them, since the leaders don't want to look like weak compromisers. As Christopher says: "A succession of Israeli leaders has turned to us, and only us, when they have concluded that retaliation for Hezbollah attacks has become counterproductive. Israel plainly trusts no one else to negotiate on its behalf and will accept no settlement in which we are not deeply involved."
Imagine yourself back on the schoolyard. Words are exchanged, and it look like your about to get into a fight. What do your friends do? They hold you back. You can't back down with looking like a wimp, but he's bigger than you and the Principal with have you locked in detention for months if he sees this. So thank God your friends are holding you back. You can say that jerk would have got whats coming to him, if only. And no black eyes. A good friend will save you from yourself. Will help you do what you can't do on your own. That's not what we are doing for Israel.
July 28, 2006
Really?
For lots of people the fighting in the Middle East signals the End of Days. And they really do feel fine. Media Matters has some appearance by End Times advocates. I think Tim LaHaye, author of the Left Behind books is one of the creepier humans I have ever seen. If the world is ending, he couldn't be happier.
These people are rooting for more violence in Israel, because they think that's what's going to trigger the rapture and The Big Guy's return and all the badly written fun you find in the Left Behind books. The fundies support Israel, but only in the sense that the existence of Israel fufills their wild-ass biblical prophecies. They don't want an Israel living in peace with its neighbors. A peaceful Middle East won't fill the pews or sell the books. Which means that the fundies are completely fine with the dumb-ass diplomatic approach that the Bush administration is taking.
These people are rooting for more violence in Israel, because they think that's what's going to trigger the rapture and The Big Guy's return and all the badly written fun you find in the Left Behind books. The fundies support Israel, but only in the sense that the existence of Israel fufills their wild-ass biblical prophecies. They don't want an Israel living in peace with its neighbors. A peaceful Middle East won't fill the pews or sell the books. Which means that the fundies are completely fine with the dumb-ass diplomatic approach that the Bush administration is taking.
July 27, 2006
$$$$$
Here's a story about making money from you web site with advertising. Here is a worthy goal:
Take Andrew Leyden, former House Commerce Committee counsel and founder of a dot-com venture that failed, who started PodcastDirectory.com, a search engine for podcasts. As the site's popularity rose from a hundred hits a month in 2004 to nearly a million now, Leyden started making the equivalent of an entry-level government worker's salary -- $30,000 to $40,000 a year -- simply because people clicked on ads. That allowed him to work at home in Chesapeake Beach, Md., trying to make more money by attracting still more traffic to his site.
They even have a term for it: Hopeful Hobbyists
"We have a segment of customers called 'hopeful hobbyists'" who have Web sites devoted to anything they might care about, from crochet to sailing, and who hope to eventually make enough money to quit their day jobs, said Willan Johnson, vice president of Yahoo Publisher Network, which launched a test version of its software last year.
Get clicking. I can't quit my day job without you.
Take Andrew Leyden, former House Commerce Committee counsel and founder of a dot-com venture that failed, who started PodcastDirectory.com, a search engine for podcasts. As the site's popularity rose from a hundred hits a month in 2004 to nearly a million now, Leyden started making the equivalent of an entry-level government worker's salary -- $30,000 to $40,000 a year -- simply because people clicked on ads. That allowed him to work at home in Chesapeake Beach, Md., trying to make more money by attracting still more traffic to his site.
They even have a term for it: Hopeful Hobbyists
"We have a segment of customers called 'hopeful hobbyists'" who have Web sites devoted to anything they might care about, from crochet to sailing, and who hope to eventually make enough money to quit their day jobs, said Willan Johnson, vice president of Yahoo Publisher Network, which launched a test version of its software last year.
Get clicking. I can't quit my day job without you.
Justice
Remember Florida 2000? Its going to become one of those American history turning points. Noted popular historians in 2050 are going to write best-selling 500-pagers on how all the disasters of the early 21st century can be traced back to the Florida Vote Recount.
Which brings us to Katherine Harris, the Florida secretary of State/Bush-Cheney campaign chair who did so much to help Bush "win" Florida. You remember, the one with too much make-up. Well, after spending the last few years as a US Congresswomen from a safe Republican seat, she's trying to move up to US Senate. And she's getting crushed in the polls. Her campaign is turning into a national embarrassment. Her entire campaign staff has quit. Twice. She is becoming a National Laughingstock.
So some small measure of justice has been served.
Which brings us to Katherine Harris, the Florida secretary of State/Bush-Cheney campaign chair who did so much to help Bush "win" Florida. You remember, the one with too much make-up. Well, after spending the last few years as a US Congresswomen from a safe Republican seat, she's trying to move up to US Senate. And she's getting crushed in the polls. Her campaign is turning into a national embarrassment. Her entire campaign staff has quit. Twice. She is becoming a National Laughingstock.
So some small measure of justice has been served.
July 26, 2006
So Let Me Get This Straight............
She waited until her husband went to work, killed her kids, covered the bodies with a sheet, then called 911. But a jury considered her "insane?" What the hell was different in this trial?
Can someone explain to me why this woman shouldn't be hit in the face with a baseball bat as additional punishment?
Can someone explain to me why this woman shouldn't be hit in the face with a baseball bat as additional punishment?
Collapse is Bad, Right
So the Headline this morning is Lebanon Crisis Talks Collapse. Man, I do hate being right all the time. It looks like Isreal is settling in for a long term occupation of part of southern Lebanon. Because the last time it went so well.
July 25, 2006
The Circle is Complete
The Circle of Crap. Muqtada al-Sadr's Iraq militia is now preparing to send troops to Lebanon to fight on behalf of Hezbollah. Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army is a major player in the Iraqi government that we are proping up with American blood and money. Can you tell the good guys from the bad? Its getting harder.
July 24, 2006
Done Right
Show Off
Beware Bush Adminitration officials making a surprise visit. It's a surefire indication that they are doing something as a PR stunt. When something real is going to get done, we know about it in advance. Bush takes a well publizided trip to India, deals get done and treaties get signed. They keep making "surprise" trips to Iraq and nothing changes. Its about generating a favorable headline and making it look like your doing something when you arn't. So today Condi made a "Surprise" trip to Lebanon. So I'm doubtful we are going to get a deal that ends the fighting (Israel/Hezbollah fighting, not Iraq Civil War fighting. It's getting hard to keep track)
July 23, 2006
Ack! The Heat! It Burns!
I take back ever bad thing I have ever said about the rain. Its record setting heat here in Sac this weekend. 109! The bigger problem is that it isn't cooling off at night. Its already 87 degrees and its only 9:00 a.m. And its only going to get hotter. I don't want to leave my apartment and its sweet, sweet air conditioning, but food is running low here at Craigorian Chant World Headquarters, and I'm going to have to go out sooner or later. Courage Man, Courage.
July 21, 2006
War is Good For You
Salon's War Room points out this Orwellian Headline:
In Mideast Strife, Bush Sees a Step To Peace
The story isn't much better:
President Bush's unwillingness to pressure Israel to halt its military campaign in Lebanon is rooted in a view of the Middle East conflict that is sharply different from that of his predecessors.
When hostilities have broken out in the past, the usual U.S. response has been an immediate and public bout of diplomacy aimed at a cease-fire, in the hopes of ensuring that the crisis would not escalate. This week, however, even in the face of growing international demands, the White House has studiously avoided any hint of impatience with Israel. While making it plain it wants civilian casualties limited, the administration is also content to see the Israelis inflict the maximum damage possible on Hezbollah.
Where does this thinking come from? I'm not the type to say that "War doesn't solve anything" but I'm think I'm on pretty safe ground to say that in the Israel-Arab conflict, war isn't going to solve anything. The simple fact is that Israel has already won. It's beaten the Arab States again and again. No Arab state is attacking Israel. All that's left are the Arab guerilla groups - Hamas and Hezbollah, that formed as a result of Israeli occupation. And as we have learned in Iraq, guerrillas groups are hard to destroy and hardly ever worth it. So unless Israel wants to kill every Hezbollah sympathizer in Southern Lebanon and every Palestinian, of course this is going to to turn into diplomacy. If we know that it always end in peace talks, why wait? (To Quote Bill Kristol)
In Mideast Strife, Bush Sees a Step To Peace
The story isn't much better:
President Bush's unwillingness to pressure Israel to halt its military campaign in Lebanon is rooted in a view of the Middle East conflict that is sharply different from that of his predecessors.
When hostilities have broken out in the past, the usual U.S. response has been an immediate and public bout of diplomacy aimed at a cease-fire, in the hopes of ensuring that the crisis would not escalate. This week, however, even in the face of growing international demands, the White House has studiously avoided any hint of impatience with Israel. While making it plain it wants civilian casualties limited, the administration is also content to see the Israelis inflict the maximum damage possible on Hezbollah.
Where does this thinking come from? I'm not the type to say that "War doesn't solve anything" but I'm think I'm on pretty safe ground to say that in the Israel-Arab conflict, war isn't going to solve anything. The simple fact is that Israel has already won. It's beaten the Arab States again and again. No Arab state is attacking Israel. All that's left are the Arab guerilla groups - Hamas and Hezbollah, that formed as a result of Israeli occupation. And as we have learned in Iraq, guerrillas groups are hard to destroy and hardly ever worth it. So unless Israel wants to kill every Hezbollah sympathizer in Southern Lebanon and every Palestinian, of course this is going to to turn into diplomacy. If we know that it always end in peace talks, why wait? (To Quote Bill Kristol)
July 20, 2006
Bill Kristol is a Lunatic
And yet for some reason, he continues to be an influenual voice in American political life. But he's crazy.
July 19, 2006
Up and Did It
As promised Bush just issued the first veto of his entire Presidency, stopping efforts to Federally fund embryonic stem cell research. Congratulations, you've just block a slew of potentially life-saving research. The measure was passed pretty overwhelmingly even in the GOP controlled Congress, but not overwhelmingly enough to override the veto.
Time to hang this veto on Bush. Bush is now the anti-cure President. Full Stop. He's going to eat that veto before this is over.
(Thanks Erin)
Time to hang this veto on Bush. Bush is now the anti-cure President. Full Stop. He's going to eat that veto before this is over.
(Thanks Erin)
Right Out the Door
I think we can mark down a new causality in the Jack Abramoff scandal. Ralph Reed, baby-faced former head of the Christian Coalition, has gone down to defeat in the Republican Primary for Lt. Govenor of Georgia. Yeah.
This is a real fall from grace for Reed, who sometime in the 90's appeared on a Time cover with the caption THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD. Reed provided the Christians in Abramoff's sleazy "Get Conservative Christians to oppose new gambling operations with the money from existing gambling operations" con game.
New Donkey has been crazy obsessed with this race, so check in with him if you want more details and analysis.
This is a real fall from grace for Reed, who sometime in the 90's appeared on a Time cover with the caption THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD. Reed provided the Christians in Abramoff's sleazy "Get Conservative Christians to oppose new gambling operations with the money from existing gambling operations" con game.
New Donkey has been crazy obsessed with this race, so check in with him if you want more details and analysis.
July 18, 2006
Walk and Chew Gum...
...and juggle and work a hula-hoop and...
The Taliban is retaking towns in Afghanistan. There is too much going on in the world and the Bush administration can't handle it. Afghanistan has long been neglected with the Iraq war getting most of the attention, money, and troops. Tack on all the new crisis and Afghanistan is suddenly fifth or six in priority. And we are losing ground.
The Taliban is retaking towns in Afghanistan. There is too much going on in the world and the Bush administration can't handle it. Afghanistan has long been neglected with the Iraq war getting most of the attention, money, and troops. Tack on all the new crisis and Afghanistan is suddenly fifth or six in priority. And we are losing ground.
July 17, 2006
All the Way to the Gallows
The Butch Cassady award for being able to crack wise in the face of danger is hearby offically awarded to MICHAEL KINSLEY:
They just drill a couple of small holes to put the wires through. Tiny holes. Itsy-bitsy holes. Teensy-weensy little holes. The propaganda they give you when you sign up for the operation describes the holes as "dime-sized." That took me aback. The dime, there's no denying, is a seriously undersized coin. But frankly, I wasn't thinking coins at all. I was thinking grains of sand. A dime is huge! The hospital printout of all the things you can't do afterward describes it as "major brain surgery." Is there minor brain surgery?
But it turns out ok:
Editor's note: Kinsley's surgery took place on July 12 and went fine. His first words were, "Well, of course, when you cut taxes, government revenues go up. Why couldn't I see that before?"
Kinsley's brain is a national treasure. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery.
They just drill a couple of small holes to put the wires through. Tiny holes. Itsy-bitsy holes. Teensy-weensy little holes. The propaganda they give you when you sign up for the operation describes the holes as "dime-sized." That took me aback. The dime, there's no denying, is a seriously undersized coin. But frankly, I wasn't thinking coins at all. I was thinking grains of sand. A dime is huge! The hospital printout of all the things you can't do afterward describes it as "major brain surgery." Is there minor brain surgery?
But it turns out ok:
Editor's note: Kinsley's surgery took place on July 12 and went fine. His first words were, "Well, of course, when you cut taxes, government revenues go up. Why couldn't I see that before?"
Kinsley's brain is a national treasure. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery.
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