Saturday, February 25, 2006

NSA Wiretaps TalkLeft: "The ACLU has released the results of a new poll by conducted by the Washington-based firm Belden, Russonello & Stewart, measuring voters' attitudes toward the NSA warrantless surveillance of Americans." Category: 2008 Presidential Election 8:15:34 AM

Iraqi War Adding Understanding: "Sadly, I also saw the more brutal parts of this war. The oil refineries in Kirkuk suffered a serious attack during our first week there creating a fire that lasted for days. The area around Kirkuk has also been ravaged by roadside bombs. As many as 10 were discovered per day. Five soldiers were killed on our last day in Kirkuk by a massive bomb. We flew the Colonel to the scene. The vehicle was still burning when we arrived and the destruction was total. It was a sober reminder of the cost of this war." Victor Davis Hanson: "Again, the question now is an existential one: Can the United States - or anyone - in the middle of a war against Islamic fascism, rebuild the most important country in the heart of the Middle East, after 30 years of utter oppression, three wars, and an Orwellian, totalitarian dictator warping of the minds of the populace? And can anyone navigate between a Zarqawi, a Sadr, and the Sunni rejectionists, much less the legions of Iranian agents, Saudi millionaires, and Syrian provocateurs who each day live to destroy what's going on in Iraq? "The fate of a much wider war hinges on the answers to these questions, since it would be hard to imagine that bin Laden could continue be much of a force with a secure and democratic Iraq, anchoring ongoing liberalization in the Gulf, Lebanon, and Egypt, and threatening by example Iran and Syria. By the same token, it would be hard to see how we could stop jihadism from spreading when an army that is doing everything possible still could not stop Islamic fascism from taking over the ancestral home of the ancient caliphate. "Can-do Americans courageously go about their duty in Iraq - mostly unafraid that a culture of 2,000 years, the reality of geography, the sheer forces of language and religion, the propaganda of the state-run Arab media, and the cynicism of the liberal West are all stacked against them. Iraq may not have started out as the pivotal front in the war between democracy and fascism, but it has surely evolved into that. After visiting the country, I think we can and will win, but just as importantly, unlike in 2003-4, there does not seem to be much of anything we should be doing there that in fact we are not." Thanks to Blogs for Bush for the link. Category: 2008 Presidential Election 8:09:13 AM

Clinton or McCain for President? Oval Office 2008: "For most American voters, it seems, we haven't really moved on from the stage where celebrity and name recognition are all that count. As last week's CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll revealed - detailed here by CNN - Hillary Clinton and John McCain remain top of their respective parties' lists of presidential hopefuls." Category: 2008 Presidential Election 8:04:02 AM

South Dakota passes abortion ban TalkLeft: "Both houses of the South Dakota legislature have now passed a near-ban on abortion. This was done deliberately, in an effort to set-up a Roe v. Wade review by the Supreme Court." Category: 2008 Presidential Election 7:58:52 AM

Schweitzer for President? New West: "On Sunday, the national news show 60 Minutes will be airing a piece on our very own Gov. Brian Schweitzer. The last time the award-winning news program came to Montana, it was to retrace the Montana Power Company's devastating collapse and the aftermath of deregulation, so this is definitely a step up for the Treasure State." Category: 2008 Presidential Election 7:57:30 AM

Abramoff case special counsel? Elevated Voices: "U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar has teamed up with Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico to request that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales appoint a special counsel to investigate Jack Abramoff's Pacific dealings and the demotion of Frederick Black, former U.S. Attorney for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands." Category: 2008 Presidential Election 7:54:33 AM

Immigration U.S. Senator Arlen Specter has introduced new immigration legislation, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "The impending political skirmish over how to rewrite immigration laws moved forward today as a key senator released his comprehensive reform package, one the Senate could end up voting on next month. "The proposal from Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Penn., head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, includes a temporary guest worker program, enhanced border security, new requirements for employers to verify workers' legal status, and a provision for some 11 million illegal aliens now in the country to come forward and work legally. It calls for a study of whether a fence is necessary along the southern U.S. border... "Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, head of the group that opposes a guest worker program for people who entered the country illegally, condemned Specter's package, calling it an 'unmitigated disaster'... "Specter's proposal would create new conditional work status for illegal immigrants able to prove they were working in the United States prior to Jan. 4, 2004. They would pay $500 and undergo a medical exam. "In addition, the proposal creates a new visa for foreigners who want to come to the U.S. and work. Once an employer proves he has a job that no American wants, a foreign citizen can obtain a work permit to fill that job for three years. That's renewable one time, after which the person would be required to leave the country." Category: 2008 Presidential Election 7:30:52 AM

© Copyright 2007 John Orr. Last update: 2/13/07; 10:54:34 PM.