All That Is Necessary…
-
It Turns Out Today Is My Blogiversary
It must have been embedded in the recesses of my memory, because something just made me check the archives. It was one year ago today that I made my first substantive post on this blog. (The first of a handful of frivolous posts was more than five years ago.) I led with a snarky prediction […]
-
Rethinking an Israeli Attack on Iran’s Nukes
Will the Sunni Saudis side with the Jews against Shiite Iran? The Sunday Times today reports that Saudia Arabia has quietly let Israel know that “that Saudi Arabia would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets flying over the kingdom during any future raid on Iran’s nuclear sites.” Israel’s Prime Minister promptly denied it. But […]
-
The Whole World Celebrates America’s Independence Day
As a big fan of the concept of American exceptionalism, I’m always happy when our country gets its props in the broader world.  So I was glad to see a CNN item about July 4th celebrations around the globe, organized by Yanks living away from home in cities like Buenos Aires, Sydney, Rome and London. […]
-
Pace Bolton, I’m Betting Against an Israeli Air Strike on Iran’s Nuke Facilities
Osirak was quite a hike, and Iran is even farther In today’s Washington Post, former UN Ambassador John Bolton stops just short of openly rooting for Israel to take out Iran’s nuclear facilities: Iran’s nuclear threat was never in doubt during its presidential campaign, but the post-election resistance raised the possibility of some sort of […]
-
Don’t Overlook the Good News in Iraq
In the midst of Bernie Madoff, Governor Sanford, cap-and-tax, unrest in Iran and the continuing deceasement of MJ, take a moment to note a happy milestone: The orderly, scheduled withdrawal today of American troops from major cities in Iraq, turning over primary responsibility to the Iraqi security forces. Here’s Ralph Peters today in the New […]
-
Madoff Hoped for Eventual Freedom
Bernie Madoff got the maximum sentence of 150 years in prison for stealing billions in what the judge called his “extraordinarily evil” Ponzi scheme. Probably it should now be renamed a Madoff scheme — Mr. Ponzi has been dead since 1949, and his take was denominated in mere millions. He was sentenced to only five […]
-
R.I.P., President Obama’s Honeymoon
It’s been a while since I’ve updated the Honeymoon-Over Watch. According to David J. Rothkopf at Foreign Policy, this should be the last update needed: Mark it on your calendars. It was in June 2009 that Barack Obama’s honeymoon officially ended. And to be more specific, it was this past week. Through some mysterious alchemy, […]
-
Better Pass It Quickly — Someone Might Read It!
Once again the Democrats in Congress are trying to push through a hugely expensive and controversial bill that nobody — literally nobody — has read. In February, as Congressional leaders and the Obama Administration were twisting arms to gather the votes they needed for the $800 zillion porkulus bill, I wrote this: When listening to […]
-
Michael Jackson, 1958-2009 —
May Light Perpetual Shine Upon HimHe was three days younger than me. Self-absorbed, I suppose, but that’s what came to mind first when I heard of Michael Jackson’s death. He’s indexed in my mind along with Madonna and Prince, who are a few weeks older, in a file labeled “People My Age.” I was never a huge fan, but as […]
-
The Perilous Implications of Bush’s Third Term
While much of Barack Obama’s national security policy has, thankfully, looked like a continuation of the Bush administration, his rhetorical response to the crisis in Iran thus far contrasts sharply with what we would have expected from his predecessor. Bush turned the heat up under Iran by naming the regime to his “Axis of Evil.” […]
Got any book recommendations?