Take a deep breath. A U.S. commander has now publicly stated we may need combat troops in Iraq past the August 31 deadline, something Tom Ricks predicted weeks ago. (Though, to add, Marc Lynch isn’t worried.) Wonder what Iraqi “victory” cheerleaders Jon Meacham and Thomas Friedman will say about that. From “Victory at Last,” with Jon Meacham, the [...] [...more]
Liberals asked to suck on it: Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) acknowledged Wednesday that liberals may be asked to oppose any amendment, including one creating a public option, to ensure a smooth ride for the bill. “We have to tell people, ‘You just have to swallow hard’ and say that putting an amendment on this is [...] [...more]
I have the distinct pleasure to have interviewed Joseph Wilson and Valerie Plame, two people I consider American heroes. So, when Karl Rove’s memoir was published, I obviously was very interested in anything Joseph had to say about it. I’m pleased that he, once again, has allowed me to publish his writings on TM.com, which [...] [...more]
“I think all the perspective candidates out there have a lot of work to do if they’re going to persuade the majority of Americans that they’re ready to take on the world’s toughest job.” – Dick Cheney, former vice president on “This Week” (see video below) That’s the Republicans’ biggest challenge, but especially for Sarah Palin, [...] [...more]
Fox News has been making a serious charge about mainstream political reporters: They hate Sarah Palin. This is not just wrong, it’s absurd. The reality is exactly the opposite: We love Palin. And if Palin does not exactly love us, she’s smart enough to recognize how quickly reporters devour every provocative remark she utters. She [...] [...more]
“We face a deficit of trust… close that credibility gap…” with Pres. Obama as ambitious as ever. Climate change? That’s right. But nuclear energy? Yep. Clean coal? An oxymoron if ever there was one, but Pres. Obama talked about it, delivering a conservative speech for a Democrat. It’s a wonder Gov. Bob [...] [...more]
–bumped – cross-posted on Huffington Post– In the special election to replace Edward M. Kennedy, Barack Obama and the Democratic Party leadership were handed their heads in the most stunning, avoidable repudiation of ineptitude in recent political memory. Obama’s reaction, which was given through an interview with George Stephanopoulos, as translated by Paul Krugman is: [...] [...more]
bumped What happened between the reports to the U.S. embassy in Nigeria from Abdulmatallab’s own father, Umaru Mutallab, a Nigerian banker, and the decision to put the young Nigerian on a watch list, but not on the no-fly list? The WSJ is reporting that State shared the information with U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism bureaus. Where [...] [...more]
Bombs exploded across Baghdad, taking at least 112 lives, with as many as 425 wounded. Carnage is the word as we get a look at what’s to come as we withdraw, with the latest bloodshed a real hit on the Iraq security forces, not to mention the government. Authorities said at least 112 people were [...] [...more]
LATE NIGHT UPDATE (11:24 pm): Reports that Hasan had died in the shooting were incorrect, with Hassan still alive and in stable condition. The AP is also reporting that over 6 months ago, Malik Nadal Hasan came under suspicion because of postings on the web: At least six months ago, Hasan came to the attention of [...] [...more]
Can Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki secure the country? That seems to be the question the bombers wanted to float before the 2010 elections. No hand wringing here. We should never have preemptively invaded Iraq, with horrendous bombings happening when we were cordoning off whole sections of the country, so no one should be surprised things are [...] [...more]
Rep. of Secr’etary-General Kai Eide, Sen. John Kerry, Pres. Karzai. (via) NATO’s decision to endorse a broader effort in Afghanistan could be foreshadowing, as the narrower approach to Afghanistan, which Biden championed, shows all signs of being grounded. Gates was at the NATO briefing, which was also attended by Gen. Stanley McChrystal. Via the Wall Street Journal: Signs [...] [...more]
Be careful what you wish for goes the old saying. The compliment in politics that applies today is: Be careful what you promise. A Democratic congressional majority, plus the presidency is a wonderful thing, but only if you use the power to implement policies you pledged to enact. Byron York is one of the first [...] [...more]
–updated– And in the final moments of the meeting, Mr. Obama sought to put to rest suspicions of friction with General McChrystal. “I’m the one who hired him,” Mr. Obama said, according to participants. “I put him there to give me a frank assessment.” – Obama Rules Out Large Reduction in Afghan Force Thank the gods, though [...] [...more]
Remember Iraq? Well, Tom Ricks does and he’s not happy about what’s going on there. Ricks has been doing an exhausted “unraveling” series, which is now in chapter XXIV. It’s been a jaw dropping read all along. As everyone looks on towards Afghanistan, pretending we’re no longer involved or responsible for Iraq, Gen. Raymond Odierno and Iraq [...] [...more]
