Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer writes that the recent military and security agreement with Iraq represents a huge victory not just for the United States, but for Iraq and for democracy in the Middle East.
I don't disagree, but I would note that we made a costly error by allowing both Iraq and Afghanistan to base their constitutions on Islamic law. Iraq's Christian community will probably cease to exist; potentially fatal attacks on it have been launched since the U.S. occupation in 2003.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Terrorists and the media
Bret Stephens argues here that Western media are doing an outstanding job of supplying terrorists with excuses for their actions. All too often, what they're 'reporting' are actual lies, such as Newsweek's false allegations about Koran's being flushed down the toilet at Guantanamo, or the alleged death of 12-year-old Mohammed al-Dura.
To quote Stephens: "...it's worth wondering why a media that treats nearly every word uttered by the U.S., British or Israeli governments as inherently suspect has proved so consistently credulous when it comes to every dubious or defamatory claim made against these governments." Good question, to which I'd like to add one of my own: Will the media treat Obama with the same suspicion and contempt, once's he's sworn in?
To quote Stephens: "...it's worth wondering why a media that treats nearly every word uttered by the U.S., British or Israeli governments as inherently suspect has proved so consistently credulous when it comes to every dubious or defamatory claim made against these governments." Good question, to which I'd like to add one of my own: Will the media treat Obama with the same suspicion and contempt, once's he's sworn in?
My unvarnished views
Nancy asked me what I thought of Hillary Clinton's appointment as Secretary of State, and of the impact of the Mumbai massacres on President-elect Obama's future policies towards terrorism.
Hillary: oddly enough, this may be a good appointment (especially if the alternative might have been Dick Holbrooke or Wes Clark - heaven knows they've wanted the job for years). She demonstrated toughness during the campaign, and that's a very good quality in a Secretary of State. The irony, of course, is that her two biggest campaign lies were about Bosnia and Northern Ireland. I would hope that her record of veracity will improve once she's dealing full time with faraway places. She will have 'Bill eruptions' from time to time, just as she did on the campaign trail, leaving the rest of us respond with either embarrassment or sick humor. However, on the bright side, Bill's ability to lobby and accept money from unsavory sources may be hampered by the increased limelight.
Obama and terrorism: oddly enough, there may be a little sliver of silver on the bottom of the very dark cloud in Mumbai. I remember a tape of Obama, early in the campaign, saying that the root cause of terrorism was poverty. The Mumbai attacks certainly do not support that assessment. Also, friends and acquaintances like Rashid Khalili, former PLO spokesman and now Middle East expert at Columbia, have presumably told Obama that the root cause of terrorism is Israel; again, the events in Mumbai should poke a large hole in that theory. Finally, Obama has been forced to take sides; not between Pakistan and India, but between terrorists and everyone else. Hopefully, he understands that U.S. interests lie with helping democrats in India, not excusing terrorist thugs and killers.
Hillary: oddly enough, this may be a good appointment (especially if the alternative might have been Dick Holbrooke or Wes Clark - heaven knows they've wanted the job for years). She demonstrated toughness during the campaign, and that's a very good quality in a Secretary of State. The irony, of course, is that her two biggest campaign lies were about Bosnia and Northern Ireland. I would hope that her record of veracity will improve once she's dealing full time with faraway places. She will have 'Bill eruptions' from time to time, just as she did on the campaign trail, leaving the rest of us respond with either embarrassment or sick humor. However, on the bright side, Bill's ability to lobby and accept money from unsavory sources may be hampered by the increased limelight.
Obama and terrorism: oddly enough, there may be a little sliver of silver on the bottom of the very dark cloud in Mumbai. I remember a tape of Obama, early in the campaign, saying that the root cause of terrorism was poverty. The Mumbai attacks certainly do not support that assessment. Also, friends and acquaintances like Rashid Khalili, former PLO spokesman and now Middle East expert at Columbia, have presumably told Obama that the root cause of terrorism is Israel; again, the events in Mumbai should poke a large hole in that theory. Finally, Obama has been forced to take sides; not between Pakistan and India, but between terrorists and everyone else. Hopefully, he understands that U.S. interests lie with helping democrats in India, not excusing terrorist thugs and killers.
Tainted milk in China
If you want a succinct, informative update on why there's a problem with tainted milk in China, here it is. Note the importance of having a free press, with investigative reports, to enforce quality control. And yes, I must make a disclaimer; Joe is a relative.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Mumbai-type threat in UK
In 2006, a young Muslim man was convicted of seeking to purchase firearms for what may have been a Mumbai-style terrorist attack, in this case planned for the UK. He belonged to the same group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is being linked to the Mumbai attack. (Thanks to Jihad Watch.)
The FBI in action
Here are two very different stories, posted the same day on Jihad Watch and Dhimmi Watch, about how the FBI deals with Muslim extremists. The FBI chief in Sacramento believes it's important to reach out to the local community to establish trust; he keeps a prayer rug in his office for the convenience of one of the Muslim community leaders.
Meanwhile, the FBI in Minneapolis kept a local imam and his youth coordinator from boarding a plane to Saudi Arabia. Observers speculate that their inclusion on the 'no-fly' list may be linked to the disappearance of some 20 Somali youths, reportedly to pursue jihad in Somalia. (See here.)
Meanwhile, the FBI in Minneapolis kept a local imam and his youth coordinator from boarding a plane to Saudi Arabia. Observers speculate that their inclusion on the 'no-fly' list may be linked to the disappearance of some 20 Somali youths, reportedly to pursue jihad in Somalia. (See here.)
Monday, December 1, 2008
The lone terrorist talks
The UK's Daily Mail has provided details about the lone remaining terrorist captured in Mumbai, 21-year-old Azam Amir Kasav. Born in the disputed region of Kashmir, he apparently received five months of training there, followed by training in 'marine assault.' The tale of how the terrorists arrived in Mumbai, and the string of corpses they left behind them, reads like a bad thriller. The only good news is that they failed to achieve their goal of killing 5,000 people.
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