Yosemite Zell

Jim Geraghty notes that the Dems would rather learn from Hank Hill than Zell Miller. "It's interesting that Democrats are willing to study King of the Hill as part of their process of rebuilding and figuring out how to rebuild a majority, but listening to Zell Miller is apparently beyond the pale."

Maybe that's because Zell Miller is too much of a Cartoon character.

Lunacy

Hugh Hewitt makes a case for a thousand year war:

This is the core problem: A horrific disfigurement of religious belief into a killing frenzy. It was the motivation behind 9/11, Bali, Madrid, and Beslan, and it is the motivation behind the terror is Iraq today. The only solution -- the only solution-- is the creation of societies committed to religious pluralism. It takes a long, long time for such societies to develop, but a beginning has been made in Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan. The president's speech was an argument about why perseverance is not only necessary but in fact indispensable to survival of the West.

A perfectly reasonable project if you are a Wilsonian liberal who believes that human nature is as pliable as playdough; and thus the U.S. Army can move into the cradle of civilization and uproot prejudices older than our own country within an acceptable time horizon. Everybody else should easily realize that Hewitt's plan is sheer lunacy.

UPDATE: Roger Simon sets reasonable goals as well: "he is partly responsible for redirecting attention from what is by far the major issue of our time -- the modernizing of Islamic civilization before it becomes massively destructive to itself and others." Isn't it a little late for that?

Political Theater

Note the bizarre logic of John Hood who on the one says that by speaking in front of a military audience who would be disciplined, the president avoided the appearance of "political theater." On the other hand, "the choice put the president in the same shot as the armed forces he commands, thus visually combating the impression -- fueled by selective media reporting -- that there is significant military disaffection about the war in Iraq. That's not true, as folks on the ground will tell you, but specific refutation could look like an attempt to politicize the military."

He can't have it both ways. If the soldiers are so disciplined that they can withold their approval, surely they might also be disciplined enough that they can also withhold their disapproval as well; especially when you consider the fact that showing disapproval could lead to serious consequences.

The People & Bush

I didn't watch the President's speech because I can't stand those things. I am particularly annoyed at Bush's need to always attach himself to the military instead of speaking from the oval office. I did however note an inane comment from John Hindraker at Power Line (big surprise). "President Bush nearly always does well when people see him, instead of seeing Democrats talking about him, as they will on the evening news."

Yeah, that's the President's problem, he never gets to speak to Americans, everything is filtered through Democrats and the "Liberal Media."

Good Advice

John Derbyshire has advice for the president that qualifies as rare good sense coming from the Corner:

And for those of us -- a majority, I think, of those who have given the matter any thought -- who believe that a stable, democratic Iraq is a pipe-dream, the President should drop some strong hints that something much less than that will be acceptable to the admin., so long as what we leave behind on withdrawal is not hostile to us or our interests, and the withdrawal can be seen as amicable and honorable.

Poddy, however, is not amused.

"Liberation"

More good news from Iraq that the Liberal Media is ignoring:

BASRA, Iraq — Physicians have been beaten for treating female patients. Liquor salesmen have been killed. Even barbers have faced threats for giving haircuts judged too short or too fashionable.

Religion rules the streets of this once cosmopolitan city, where women no longer dare go out uncovered.

"We can't sing in public anymore," said Hussin Nimma, a popular singer from the south. "It's ironic. We thought that with the change of the regime, people would be more open to singing, art and poetry."

Unmarked cars cruise the streets, carrying armed, plain-clothed enforcers of Islamic law. Who they are or answer to is unclear, but residents believe they are part of a battle for Basra's soul.

In the spring, Shiite and Sunni Muslim officials were killed in a series of assassinations here, and residents feared their city would fall prey to the kind of sectarian violence ailing the rest of the country.

I'm sure glad we went to war to "liberate" Iraq.

Splitting Hairs

Here's an idea for interpreting the First Amendment's "establishment clause"(Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion). I would define it more literally and more narrowly. If the state of Kentucky decides to tax its citizens to support the Southern Baptist Convention, I would not allow it. That is the very essence of religious establishment.

However, if the Bluegrass States wants to put up framed copies of the Ten Commandments in its public buildings, it should be allowed. Even if construed as a state endorsement of religion, that is not the same as a state establishment of religion. A stricter interpretation of the clause will save us from having the Supreme Court read minds and split hairs over the different settings for the document.

That doesn't mean hard questions would never arise. I would be inclined to not allow mandatory prayer in public school classrooms where children are required to attend.

This whole business of the Court trying to divine religious motivation while state officials pretend to put the Ten Commandments up for secular reasons is nuts. Americans have the right to not believe and to not have religion shoved down their throats, but that doesn't include the right to never be offended or feel some way excluded.

I am influenced in part by my experience in public school. The middle school I attended had a regular moment of silence, a Christian "Crusade Club" and at least one teacher who used his classroom as a pulpit. Mr. Klein, my seventh or eighth (it was a long time ago) grade English teacher frequently discussed his faith and had Chick Tracts at the back of the room with other reading material. Although Barry Lynn would have a stroke over it, his witnessing had no more effect on me than his speling lessons. I could name dozens of other problems at that school that were more pressing than potential First Amendment violations.

Color Me Skeptical

According to Michelle Malkin, Buzz Patterson and other talk radio hosts are going to report from Iraq from July 10 through July 15 to get the Truth that the "Liberal Media" is ignoring.

Color me skeptical since they are only going to be there for five days. Also, Patterson, at least seems to have made up his mind already and is unlikely to report anything that contradicts his preconceptions:

Buzz and 10 other radio hosts are heading to Baghdad from July 10th through July 15th to greet our troops, broadcast live, and give you THE STRAIGHT SCOOP! He's sick of the mainstream media disinforming, under reporting, and sensationalizing events that never occurred!

Where Have You Gone Colin Powell . . .

Pat Buchanan tires of the scoldings of "schoolmarm", Condi Rice:

Has she or President Bush thought through the consequences should their hectoring succeed in destabilizing and bringing down Saudi Arabia or Egypt? Have they observed how the elections they've been demanding have been going of late?

In southern Lebanon, Hezbollah and the Amal militia took every parliamentary seat. In the West Bank and Gaza, Hamas is so strong the Palestinian Authority postponed the July elections. If Hosni Mubarak held free elections in Egypt, his principal rival would be the Muslim Brotherhood. If the Saudi monarchy should hold elections, Osama bin Laden might not win, but my guess is he makes the runoff.

Some people want Rice to run for president in 2008, for some reason. I think I would prefer Chuck Hagel.

Iranian Moderates

Apparently, NRO's Katheryn Lopez forgot that, circa 1987, the existance of "Iranian moderates" was the party line at National Review.

Not Like Boot Camp

This article from the American Spectator ignores the fact that, at least one branch of the military -- the Marine Corps -- was forced to make serious reforms in recruit training after several incidents, including a few of killings.

I graduated from Parris Island in the 1980s so I know a bit about it. Marine training is indeed tough. Things may have changed, but when I was in, nobody in my platoon was killed. Nobody was subjected to the moral depravity evident at Abu Ghraib. In fact, one drill instructer was relieved from duty after a recruit made charges against him.

Show How Much You Care

"Brian" at "Blue State Conservatives" suggests you show how much you care about the troops by raising a stink about some remarks by Newspaper Guild president, Linda Foley. I have a better way for Brian and his buddies to "support the troops"-- get off of your ass and join them.

Victory in the Desert?

Tom DeLay says that Iraq is no worse than Houston. "You know, if Houston, Texas, was held to the same standard as Iraq is held to, nobody'd go to Houston, because all this reporting coming out of the local press in Houston is violence, murders, robberies, deaths on the highways." Yes, I wonder how many vehicles with armed security guards it takes to get from the airport to your hotel in Houston.

Karl Zinsmeister, who just returned from one of several trips to Iraq declares victory:

What the establishment media covering Iraq have utterly failed to make clear today is this central reality: With the exception of periodic flare-ups in isolated corners, our struggle in Iraq as warfare is over. Egregious acts of terror will continue -- in Iraq as in many other parts of the world. But there is now no chance whatever of the U.S. losing this critical guerilla war.

Contrary to the impression given by most newspaper headlines, the United States has won the day in Iraq. In 2004, our military fought fierce battles in Najaf, Fallujah, and Sadr City. Many thousands of terrorists were killed, with comparatively little collateral damage. As examples of the very hardest sorts of urban combat, these will go down in history as smashing U.S. victories. (emphasis added)

Note Zinsmeister's qualification, "with the exception of periodic flare-ups in isolated corners." What exactly is Guerilla warfare anyway? I will believe what he says when the Bush administration cuts our troop strength there by a half or a third or a quarter, and a Baghdad cab ride becomes affordable.

Wrath of Hugh

Richard Cohen will surely endure the wrath of Hugh for failing to be hysterical over Dick Durbin's thoughtcrime. Cohen writes, "[Durbin] was right, although not necessarily politically prudent or elegant, when he said that if you did not know these descriptions came from an FBI agent, you 'would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime . . . that had no concern for human beings.' I certainly might have thought so -- although, in general, these regimes were capable of far worse than that, and Durbin should not have said 'most certainly.' A 'possibly' would have done just fine."

Hewitt has already called Andrew Sullivan hysterical. He should know.

Who cares?

The guys at Power Line finally get to the bottom of the critical issue of the day -- John Kerry's military records.

Spineless Worm! Traitor!!

Chuck Hagel will doubtless face a terrible wrath coming from certain quarters for stating the obvious, that as U.S. News & World Report states, "'Things aren't getting better; they're getting worse. The White House is completely disconnected from reality,' Hagel tells U.S. News. 'It's like they're just making it up as they go along. The reality is that we're losing in Iraq.'"

The Bush Administration has a plan however, the magazine reports -- a PR campaign. I feel better now.

Here are some choice quotes from Freepers about Hagel:

Hagel is a German boot licker!
Sounds like UpChuck Hagel is going to take the McLame approach to running for President.
Republican RINO Sens. Lincoln Chafee and Lindsey Graham have voiced their concerns.

Hagel is just the RINO version of Joe Biden.

Just faxed:

Senator Chuck Hagel
248 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone 202-224-4224
Fax 202-224-5213

Senator Hagel

Have you registered as an al Qaeda lobbyist yet?

Get in line in the fifth column.

Spoken like a democrat, and Hagel has presdential aspirations...lol.

Hagel is a spineless worm who stands for absolutely nothing.

ANOTHER TRAITOR!!

Blast From the Past

When Ralph Reed left the Christian Coalition a few years back, I naturally assumed that he was going to work among the poor of Calcutta, or at least Appalachia. Imagine my surprise when I discovered via the Weekly Standard that he actually left to minister to Enron and work for other good causes with his friend the now notorious Jack Abramoff.

Clean For Gene II

Pat Buchanan speculates on the possibility of another Gene McCarthy running against the Iraq War in 2008. It sure would be nice since he would represent a substantial constituency in the country. In the comments, Sean Scallon suggests Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Republicans Ron Paul of Texas and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. I would add Congressman Jimmy Duncan from Tennessee as well. None of the Republicans have a chance but I would enjoy seeing a conservative war critic running in '08.

P.S. While at the Chronicles website, give til it hurts.

Move Over, Dick Durbin

More on the Nazification of America: here, here, here and here. Richard Poe: "I had also told Stanley about other Clinton crimes . . . I then understood why Stanley had called me. He did it to clear his conscience . . . I'll bet similar phone calls were made in Nazi Germany in November 1938, after the event known as Kristallnacht. Many ordinary Germans were horrified when Nazi goons rampaged through the streets, beating and killing Jews and burning down synagogues."

From FreeRepublic:

Just as the Nazis did, they are confiscating people's money, land, cars -- anything they can get their hands on.

Such conditions provide the fertile soil for tyrants like Bill Clinton, as we are witnessing . . .

Did you know that the leader of Muslim Bosnia that Clinton sided with was a Nazi youth allied to Bin Laden?

I sure I could have found much more with more time and effort. I'm sure that the usual suspects will express their outrage at this rank America hating forthwith.

The Usual Suspects

The Usual Suspects are in a frenzy over a statement by Illinois senator Dick Durban. The Senator said:

On one occasion the air conditioning had been turned down so far and the temperature was so cold in the room that the barefooted detainee was shaking with cold. On another occasion the air conditioner had been turned off, making the temperature in the unventilated room well over 100 degrees. The detainee was almost unconscious on the floor, with a pile of hair next to him. He had apparently been literally pulling his hair out throughout the night. On another occasion, not only was the temperature unbearably hot, but extremely loud rap music was being played in the room, and had been since the day before, with the detainee chained hand and foot in the fetal position on the tile floor.'

If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime -- Pol Pot or others -- that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners.

Whether Durban is correct, or a little over the top, I can't say. I know that when I saw the photos from Abu Grahib, the worst of them made me think of the Nazis.

Note that anything that the Nazis might have done is not the same as the worst that the Nazis did. I don't know if anything that bad happened at our prison at Cuba, but abuses seem to have occurred everywhere the Bush administration set up a prison camp. It is notable that Durbin did not say anything in the quote above about our troops since, as he pointed out on the floor of the Senate today, he doesn't even know if the actions he describes were performed by members of the military (it could have been done by intelligence personnel or private contractors). However, Hugh Hewitt disagrees:

The Democratic Party's #2 in the Senate is anti-military, because to speak slander about the military -- even a specific subset of the military -- is to be anti-military. The left's #1 blogger is supporting the slander. Is it ok yet to assert that the left is anti-military, even if some, like Kos, have served in uniform? Objectively speaking, it is anti-military to equate soldiers, sailors, arimen and Marines as Nazis, Stalinists, and Khmer Rouge, right? It is anti-military to hand huge propaganda wins to our enemies, isn't it?

Hewitt is hysterical as usual. Durbin is being critical of the Bush administration here, not the military. Hewitt would have it so that nobody can criticize the war effort. He wanted Congress to bully Newsweek into servility after they retracted the phony Koran-flushing story.

The problem for the Hewitt crowd is that they helped sell the country on the colossal blunder of invading Iraq. At almost every turn, they have been proven wrong -- no usable WMD, the war continuing long after the carrier landing stunt, the administration's shabby treatment of the people who got it right, etc. The only response they have is to try to demonize the critics.

I don't know anything about Sen. Durbin. For all I know he is as much a partisan hack as Hewitt who would be defending the government's actions at Guantanamo if a Democrat was responsible. Hewitt and his crowd might succeed in discrediting the Illinois Democrat but they can't cover up the manifest failings of the Bush administration's handling of the terror war.