VRWC Cognitive Dissonance

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I’m starting to get seriously annoyed at Socialism in an Age of Waiting: I keep waiting for them to start saying something, anything, that I can moderately disagree with. But no, it’s all either serious disagreement (for example, that a Marxist state is both unavoidable and desirable*) or no disagreement at all. They’re sound on the UN, sound on the antiwar movement, sound on Jim Treacher, fer crying out loud (needs to be on the blogroll, that one, if only for this post)… I can see why Michael Totten’s half-wondering whether these guys are part of the VRWC after all.

All of this was necessary to give some context to my guarded agreement that Ann Clwyd’s talents are wasted in her present position, although I am not convinced that Foreign Secretary is the natural next step for her. I don’t agree with all of her beliefs, either – but her and Indict’s work is going to be very useful in Saddam’s war crimes trial, and such largely unsung toil should be given its proper due.

Moe

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Umm…

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OK. I’ve generally kept from making posts involving Howard Dean, as it feels to be somehow the ‘turf’ of the actual Dean supporter onsite and I have absolutely no desire to start a fight with Katherine over her candidate’s election prospects. It looks like we’ll find out the answer to that in November ’04.

With all that in mind, I have to ask myself: whatinhell is Jonathan Chait thinking?

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There’s good, and there’s evil, and there’s evil diguised as good.

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BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: The Ninth Circuit just ruled “that prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (search) in Cuba should have access to lawyers and the American court system.” The opinion does not appear to be (yet) available online, but the The New York Times reports that the panel held that noncitizen enemy combatants have a Constitutional right to an attorney.

This would be an extremely significant ruling, and will almost certainly go to the Supreme Court. It also fits into the category of a von good thing (# 18 on the list). Also worth noting is that Senior Northern District of Illinois Judge Milton I. Shadur sat on the Ninth Circuit panel and voted in the 2-1 majority. Judge Shadur is a well-respected trial judge, and is not known for his judicial activism.*

Addendum: Via Glenn Renyolds, a link to the opinion. I haven’t read it yet, but Professor Bainbridge thinks the opinion, well, not good. He may be right on the legal merits — I called it a good thing solely on policy grounds. But Prof. Bainbridge’s reference to Justice Jackson’s remark that the Constitution is not a suicide pact is silly hyperbole — particularly coming from someone who hasn’t even read the Ninth Circuit’s opinion yet. C’mon kids: try to refrain from speaking before thinking.

Second Addendum: I’ve now skimmed the opinion, and I’m ready to (tentatively) say that I approve of it. A brief analysis is in the comments, in response to a point made by Clay Ranck. Understand, however, that (a) this is out of my area of practice and (b) I’m reserving the right to change my mind as I let the opinion sink further in.

In other news: Charles Johnson has one of his quote-and-disapprove posts up. He doesn’t explain why he disapproves, except to suggest that the Ninth Circuit is always, categorically wrong. Way to go, Charles! That took some deep thinking.

Professor Bainbridge has kindly responded to my note (above), and acknowledges that his original take on the opinion may have been too hasty. Professor, if you’re still reading, I’d be very interested in your (now) more considered opinion.

von

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Stuff about the ‘Stans…

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Winds of Change has done one of their excellent regional briefings on the Central Asia ‘stans. As some of you may remember, I blogged about Uzbekistan and Georgia last month, so this is of interest to me. The links to what is apparently being called Georgia’s Rose Revolution are well worth perusing, especially the interesting … Read more

9/11 Commission

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Loyal Reader rilkefan in comments below kindly points out to us a news article about Kean’s recent remarks concerning the preventability of 9/11. The chairman isn’t naming names – yet – but he’s certainly gearing up to start a world-class, Grade-A stink over the entire thing, especially with the public testimony scheduled for next year.

Good. Hammer ’em to the walls, Kean. I always liked you as Governor.

Also, I make several predictions:

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Follow up #2

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On a much lighter note, I would like to correct the following omissions to “Red Dawn of a Brighter Age“. Crionna reports that, “It wasn’t until 2010 that it was learned that in 2005’s “Operation Next Of Kin” George Bush snuck away from his ranch and went to New York to find the killers of … Read more

Follow up #1

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The attempt on Musharraf’s life sounds like it came even closer than I realized: The sophisticated bomb — initially estimated to contain 550 pounds of explosives — was believed to include both a remote control and a timing device to trigger it, two intelligence officials told AP. Jamming equipment in Musharraf’s limousine stopped the timer … Read more

Raw Meat.

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One way or the other. Either way, I really do suggest that it not be just ignored out of hand. (Via an amused Balloon Juice. Don’t just ignore that, either.)

Alas, inconvenient fact…

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…defeats another good conspiracy theory: Riverbend’s back online. Not that I actually thought that she was Saddam Hussein, but you have to admit that the timing was interesting. ‘Course, I’m still trying to figure out how somebody whose area has been without power for the last 72 hours could watch a television report about Saddam’s … Read more

Sorta a Note About a Contest

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Well, this started as a note that dKos is having a contest for a new logo. Some of you are – whatever the name is these days for people to the Left of me – and for all I know a couple of you are graphic artists who wouldn’t mind participating. I would’ve been fine … Read more

At the end of a rope, he lets down a tin pail. And you have to toss in fifteen cents and a nail.

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Rilkefan, apparently unsatisfied with our weak efforts at prose, suggests in comments that we add a recommended reading list. For most, the fascinating world of drying paint would be preferable. He asked for it, however. My currently recommended works of fiction are hidden below. A list of nonfiction works will follow in, oh, between two-to-thirty weeks.

Perhaps you (or cobloggers Moe Lane and Katherine) will offer your/their own list(s) . . . .

UPDATE: In comments, Rilkefan notes that he wasn’t refering to “what random books” people may like, but to “books referred to in blogly discussions.” Well, shoot. Maybe we can do that too.

von

p.s. None of these books are exactly new, ya hear?

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I hang my head in shame.

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The comment sections of a particular post here (and 1/3rd of a bottle of white wine) force me to a revelation; I am embarrassed to admit that I do not own any Johnny Cash records. (pause) Now that all y’all’s scorn has been justly visited upon me, what albums should I acquire to remedy this … Read more

Red Dawn of a Brighter Age

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THE DECADE IN REVIEW: Swayze Inspired Troops, Saved America

12/31/09—WASHINGTON, D.C. Senior Defense Department officials agree that the turning point in the War on Terror came in December of 2003, with the capture of Saddam Hussein in “Operation Red Dawn.” The arrest and trial of the former dictator helped sap the morale of Iraqi guerillas. But as important as Hussein’s arrest was in Iraq’s transition to democracy, the real key was the name, which came from a 1984 Patrick Swayze film about young Americans fighting a guerilla war against Soviet invaders.

“It was sort of a joke at first,” said Undersecretary of Operational Nomenclature Stephen O’Connell. “We saw one of the posters in the elevator for the monthly viewing of “Red Dawn” in Secretary Rumsfeld’s rumpus room, and thought, hey, it’s as good a name as any.”

“A month later, when we were tipped off on the sighting of Mullah Omar in Kandahar, we joked that the name might have been a good luck charm, so we decided to call that one ‘Operation Steel Dawn.’ And after that mission’s success, it just sort of took on a life of its own,” O’Connell said.

Al Qaeda leader Abu Yasir was captured in “Operation Road House” in November of 2004. The intelligence gained from his interrogation led troops to bin Laden lieutenant Abu Muzaham in “Operation Point Break” in January 2005. Muzaham, in turn, gave the military the information it needed for “Operation Dirty Dancing“, which led to Osama bin Laden’s arrest in the mountains of Aghanistan that March.

Bin Laden’s capture accompanied a profound change in the Bush administration’s political fortunes. When news of the mission’s success hit the airwaves, Vice President Cheney was on Capitol Hill, answering questions under subpoena about his role in the ’04 Halliburton Scandal. Congressional Democrats had even called for Cheney’s resignation. But those calls quickly ended when President Bush marched into the Senate, and, with a cry of “Nobody puts Baby in a corner!”, carried Cheney on his soldiers to a triumphant joint press conference.

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List O’Links

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Politics is raising my blood pressure too high today, so I give you these non-political links: 1. Kieran Healy of Crooked Timber has not read many good books this year. But I have not read more than him, so I am not smarter. 2. Slate has proof that the code name for the mission to … Read more

Forty-Foot Jesus In Tulsa!

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Actually, that’s just a line from – was it Sam Kinnison? Sounds like the sort of thing that he would have blurted out, rest his soul – anyway, that’s private code around Chez Lane for Moe’s About To Start Babbling. Yup, indeed. And what am I going to babble on about?

Why, the United Nations, of course. Hey, I’m a Right-winger: it was inevitable, no?

(pause)

And, yes, that thing that you thought was a hidden pun… is.

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Primary schedule

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This American Prospect article is really worth reading if you’re at all interested in the Demcoratic primary. It gives you the calendar, the delegate count, and a brief handicapping of the race in each state. My wild guesses about when we’ll have our nominee & who it’s likely to be, in order of likelihood: 1. … Read more

Dean’s foreign policy speech

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The text is here.

Not surprisingly, I liked it. The substance is very good. I wish he’d said more about the most dangerous countries–Iraq, North Korea, Pakistan. But this was more of an outline of priorities; there will be other days for those questions. I thought he dealt with Saddam’s capture perfectly, & he rode my hobbyhorse on Nunn-Lugar and non-proliferation.

It’s hard to tell much about the style because I didn’t see it delivered. Based on a quick read-through, he’s got a bit of a big-word/wonkspeak problem which Dean usually does not have. There are also some really excellent moments, though.

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I’ve got a bad feeling about this.

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The chances of the Democrats taking back the Senate appear to be getting slimmer. CNN is reporting that John Breaux (D-La) will retire in 2004 rather than seek re-election:

[John Breaux] is the fifth Democrat from a southern state to announce his retirement before the 2004 elections. Others are Zell Miller, Georgia; Bob Graham, Florida; John Edwards, North Carolina; and Fritz Hollings, South Carolina.

Some, undoubtedly, will minimize this loss by pointing out that Breaux was a glad-handling backroom boy, a DINO, and good riddence to him (thank you very much). Sure, he was all of that. But he was also insanely popular in Louisiana, and he faced no serious challenge for re-election in 2004. His departure means that the likelihood of the Democrats recovering the Senate is, well, unlikely.

So, here’re two half-formulated thoughts for you to ponder (or dispute): First, why the heck are the Democrats losing their few remaining Southerners to retirement? We’re past the stage of mere coincidence or unlucky timing — five Democratic Senators from a relatively Democratic-Senator-Free region is more than a lot. I’m tempted to say that it has something to do with Dean’s rise an an anti-war type — but, then, all of my pronouncements on Dean are inherently suspect given my general dislike of the man.

Second, I am not looking forward to what I now believe to be the most likely outcome of the 2004 election cycle: A Republican President, A Republican House, and a Republican Senate. This is because the current Republican agenda appears to be “detax and spend, spend, spend.” Not exactly sound fiscal planning (or conservatism, as traditionally defined).* And, frankly, I’m a little scared about the quality of judicial nominees that have thus far been offered by this administration. A Republican trifecta is hardly likely to provide the needed “Saul on the road to Damascus” moment on either point.

So, bid adieu to Breaux. We’ll sure miss ya.

von

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Generic Blogging Article Title #1

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The Politburo Diktat has an interesting post up about bloggers, blogmasters and blog-states. Obsidian Wings is, of course, a blogger site with at least some delusions of being a blogmaster site someday: at least, I think that it’d be vaguely cool to be one and my cobloggers probably wouldn’t object too much. But it was … Read more

How Dreadfully Embarrassing.

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I completely forgot to note that Saturday was our one-month blogoversary. I think that Katherine, von and I have done reasonably well in that time period – aside, of course, from the ongoing failure of my constant schemes and plots to get blogrolled by every other blog in existence. Yes, blogrolls, yess, my precciousss blogrolllesess… … Read more

Pakistan

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Someone tried to assassinate Pervez Musharraf today: “A bomb exploded moments after Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s motorcade passed a bridge near the capital Sunday, at least the second attempt on his life since he enraged hard-liners in 2001 by backing the U.S.-led war on terror in Afghanistan. No one was hurt. ” Full story … Read more

Hussein

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Michael N. just posted the words to an old hymn in the comments:
“When tyrants tremble in their fear
And hear their death knell ringing
When friends rejoice both far and near
How can I keep from singing?”

I thought that deserved to be on our main page.

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Bearly Remembered to Blog This…

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Sorry about the pun. Actually, no, I’m not. Girlfriend has sent me back to blog – she is updating expensive new Palm Pilot – so there you go. Anyhow, I’ve been meaning to blog about this for days: NZ Bear pointed out this Slate article about alternative ways to reduce the New Jersey black bear … Read more

At last.

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Well, they finally caught the bastard. Tac’s declared a 24 gloating period over here: feel free to indulge, if you like… but I’d like to save this thread for serious and non-partisan thoughts about what to do with Hussein now that we have them. And it can be taken as assumed that you’re happy that … Read more

If I were, say, putting this in a novel…

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…then this NYT Op-Ed by David Brooks would be shortly followed by Bush announcing that we’ll let our good, dear friends France, Germany and Russia bid on those Iraqi contracts after all. Not that I have anything against David or his article – indeed, I found it a most amusing rasberry in the face of … Read more

Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence

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Wampum is taking nominations for the 2003 Koufax Awards, for the best of the left-of-center blogosphere, here and here. (There is also a category for “best right-of-center blogger”). I assume Yankee fans are welcome to vote despite the title; I leave it to conservatives whether they should or not….in any case don’t miss last year’s … Read more