Politics Blog

But wait, San Fran Nan says there ARE NO TERRORISTS IN IRAQ:

ABCNEWS has ’smoking-gun evidence’ that Iran is supplying Iraq terrorists with weapons:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30, 2006 — U.S. officials say they have found smoking-gun evidence of Iranian support for terrorists in Iraq: brand-new weapons fresh from Iranian factories. According to a senior defense official, coalition forces have recently seized Iranian-made weapons and munitions that bear manufacturing dates in 2006.

This suggests, say the sources, that the material is going directly from Iranian factories to Shia militias, rather than taking a roundabout path through the black market. “There is no way this could be done without (Iranian) government approval,” says a senior official.

Moktada al-Sadr getting training from Hezbollah?

Evidence is mounting, too, that the most powerful militia in Iraq, Moktada al-Sadr’s Mahdi army, is receiving training support from the Iranian-backed terrorists of Hezbollah.

Woman suing because her avocado dip didn’t taste “avocadoey":

That’s the issue in a fraud lawsuit filed Wednesday against Kraft Foods, Inc., by a Los Angeles woman who claims the company’s avocado dip doesn’t qualify as guacamole.

“It just didn’t taste avocadoey,” said Brenda Lifsey, who used Kraft Dips Guacamole in a three-layer dip last year. “I looked at the ingredients and found there was almost no avocado in it.”

Don’t call it guacamole:

She is seeking unspecified damages and a Superior Court order barring Kraft from calling its dip guacamole. Her suit seeks class-action status.

And of course, the appeasement:

However, the company will relabel the product to make it clearer that the dip is guacamole-flavored, Regan said.

I posted on this before, but last night “20/20″ ran a segment on this topic:

To test what types of people give more,“20/20″ went to two very different parts of the country, with contrasting populations: Sioux Falls, S.D. and San Francisco, Calif. The Salvation Army set up buckets at the busiest locations in each city — Macy’s in San Francisco and Wal-Mart in Sioux Falls. Which bucket collected more money?

Sioux Falls is rural and religious; half of the population goes to church every week. People in San Francisco make much more money, are predominantly liberal, and just 14 percent of people in San Francisco attend church every week. Liberals are said to care more about helping the poor; so did people in San Francisco give more?

It turns out that this idea that liberals give more…is a myth. Of the top 25 states where people give an above average percent of their income, 24 were red states in the last presidential election.

And it’s a myth created by whom? Greedy liberals themselves.
The Walmart in Sioux Falls collected twice as much money as the Macy’s in San Francisco.

The next time a liberal lectures you on “helping the poor,” mock them. Mercilessly.

The Supreme Court is being asked to decide whether global warming is real. Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick has her usual entertaining coverage of the case she calls Bush v. Gore’s Movie

I just wanted to comment on a few front page items that popped today and throw out a few others, all in one thread.

If you ran across, “Data on U.S. military’s Iraqi operations leaked onto Internet,” IT WAS NOT ME!!!! Yes, I am traveling with my laptop, but the material on the laptop is solely for my civilian business. Here is what happened to the guy in question that should be a warning others:

Internal data such as information concerning U.S. military operations in Iraq have recently been leaked to the Internet from a privately owned personal computer of an Air Self-Defense Force member loaded with a file sharing software, ASDF investigations have shown.

The current Republican Majority Leader (soon to be Minority Leader) happens to have me in his e mail address book (well along with THOUSANDS OF OTHERS) and sent me an e mail entitled, “Democrats Reject Key 9/11 Panel Suggestion.” The e mail had the Washington Post article of the same name, with an interesting quote:

“I don’t think that suggestion is going anywhere,” said Rep. C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.), the chairman of the Appropriations defense subcommittee ………… “That is not going to be their party position.”

I sincerely hope that Republicans will make it their party position!!!

Now that we know that Hastings is out, “Chairman Hastings ? NOPE, Not on Nancy’s Watch,” I sincerely hope that Republicans do not drop the issue but now demand that Members of Congress are held to the same standard as those they govern in determining who has access to intelligence information. This is an important issue that will have traction with the public:

I would also hope that our liberal activist readers could join and demand that Members of Congress be required to obtain a full security clearance before sitting on a sensitive committee. I have no idea what the fallout would be, Republican or Democrat, but this is an issue where politics must be placed aside. The Duke Cunninghams of the world are not entitled to this information nor are the Alcee Hastings.

The Ace took my wind with “Iraq Study Group: Quagmire.” However he did not list the members of the Commission:

In addition to Mr. Hamilton, a former Democratic congressman, the group includes two Democrats who are veterans of the Clinton administration, Leon E. Panetta and William J. Perry, and a Clinton adviser, Vernon E. Jordan Jr. Charles S. Robb, former Democratic governor of Virginia, and Alan K. Simpson, a former Republican senator from Wyoming, are also on the panel, along with Sandra Day O’Connor, a former Supreme Court justice who was nominated by President Reagan.

Other members includes Edwin Meese III, who served as attorney general under Mr. Reagan, and Lawrence S. Eagleburger, a former secretary of state under Mr. Bush’s father. Mr. Eagleburger replaced Robert M. Gates, who resigned when he was nominated to be the next secretary of defense.

If confirmed he will have to carry out whatever change of military strategy, if any, Mr. Bush embraces.

As a deployed reservist, I am able to look events in both SW Asia and CONUS from a “multi-lense” perspective. I see the new Secretary of Defense coming from the committee that is coming up with a muddled consensus policy. That is a repeat of Vietnam, where field decisions were made in Washington by politicians.

Why am I a November 8, 2006 soldier? Because I want to prevent a May 1, 1975 Army. Commissioned Officers in year groups 1980-1990, though not in Vietnam were “touched” by the ghost of Vietnam. Members of these groups “debate” which combat patch they will wear because they have served on multiple combat tours in multiple places.

The report by this Committee will be the template going forward, period. Does anyone think that the number of Americans supporting “Go Long or Go Big” will be growing? We tried to convince the public and we failed. The only growing consensus in the USA is “Go home” or worse there will be support for a middle road policy. If you embrace the “middle road” because “it is better than going home,” you will still failure in Iraq but end up with a May 1, 1975 Army. I have no choice but to stand with my fellow Infantryman, my fellow Soldiers and my brothers and sisters in the other Armed Services. Leadership lessons of history tell me that is the right choice at this juncture.

The AP is reporting that President Bush wants to “speed” things up in Iraq:

President Bush said Thursday the United States will speed a turnover of security responsibility to Iraqi forces but assured Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that Washington is not looking for a “graceful exit” from a war well into its fourth violent year.

You no more “speed” up cooking a cake than “speed” up training soldiers. It is what it is. More of that nuance that Republicans are no good at.

Unless maybe, you are using the “Baker Cook Book.”

One parent in NY thinks so, complained and won:

CNSNews.com) - A Christmas-themed event to raise money at a public elementary school in Warwick, N.Y., has been altered to accommodate a parent’s complaints that the program would illegally spotlight a “religious” figure - Santa Claus.

“Breakfast With Santa” has since been changed to “Winter Wonderland Breakfast,” and – in an effort to be inclusive of all beliefs – the bearded one will now be joined at the Dec. 9 event by Frosty the Snowman.

Organizers made the changes after one parent charged that she and others in the community were offended that the Parent Teacher Association at the Sanfordville Elementary School was sponsoring a program geared toward one religion.

Typical liberal, hiding under her husbands skirt:

That parent, who did not wish to have her name used, wrote a letter to the school board asserting that Santa represents Christmas – a Christian holiday – and by law, a public school is not allowed to promote religion.

Go Mikey!:

Mike Johnson, senior legal counsel for the conservative Alliance Defense Fund, told Cybercast News Service the situation was “just absurd.”

“My general reaction is probably the same as 95 percent of Americans when they hear about something like this,” Johnson said. “It’s ridiculous that we have to think twice about whether it’s OK to celebrate Christmas in public.”

While acknowledging that Saint Nicholas, a Dutch bishop who had a reputation for giving gifts in secret, “clearly was the original figure that Santa is based upon,” he noted that “most people would recognize Santa Claus himself as a secular-type figure.”

“The underlying principle here is that the First Amendment does not guarantee any of us a right not to be offended,” Johnson said. “These radical leftist types are arguing that just because 95 percent of Americans, according to recent polling, celebrate Christmas, they ought not to have that right” since a person with a different view might object.

The parent wouldn’t give in:

“We have a beautiful background people can have a picture in front of,” Baratto said. “That wasn’t good enough. We changed the name, colors, the background,” but that did not satisfy the complaining parent. “She was not open to anything. We’ll have 300 or so kids who are disappointed.”

Let me say this again, I am Jewish and Christmas, Santa, Jesus, whatever, DOES NOT offend me. The idiot who did this, DOES offend me.

Here is an open thread for those that want to “vent” on Iraq. I think most regular readers understand my “position.”

The electorate affirmed the position of President Bush in both 2002 and 2004. In 2006, the electorate rejected that position. The Democrat “position” on Iraq was clear for 2006.

I personally disagree with the electorates 2006 position but that is now completely irrelevant. I can now only try to ensure that my fellow soldiers and the institutional military come out of all this in the best possible position so that the institution I embrace, can fight another day.

It is no longer worth anyones time to argue the “if and why” of Iraq. The question now is the path forward.

I do know that the path to April 30, 1975 will destroy the fighting will.

Yesterday, the editors of The Orlando Sentinel, a left leaning paper in Florida (U.S.A.), decided that they would print an editorial opinion encouraging the EU to accept Turkey as a member:

Turkey’s acceptance into the European Union would have great significance. It would be a model of integration with the West for other moderate Islamic nations.

An American paper based in Central Florida (US) has absolutely no business about commenting on EU enlargement. That decision rests solely with the existing citizens of the European Union:

According to the EU Treaty, each current member state and also the European Parliament have to agree to any enlargement.

The article also pointed out that the Pope had endorsed Turkeys membership in the European Union:

Pope Benedict XVI surprised Turks this week when he switched from opposing to supporting their country’s effort to join the European Union. Ideally, the pope will inspire the same change of heart among European leaders who have been balking at Turkey’s bid.

The Pope’s opinion will be applicable as soon the Vatican City joins the European Union and then will be able to support or oppose enlargement.