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Wednesday, February 5, 2003 |
'Irrefutable and Undeniable'. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell has laid out hard evidence that would convince any jury that there has been a huge Iraqi cover-up. By William Safire. [New York Times: Opinion]
Interpretations vary, of course. Most commentators seem to read the Powell presentation as reinforcing their existing points of view. But, as Safire observes:
Reasonable people take as a clear indication of underlying crime such activity as lying about that crime, suborning perjury about it in others, and intimidating scientific witnesses.
But unreasonable or fearful or self-interested people [~] the leaders of France, Germany, Russia, China and Luxembourg (where is Ambassador Perle Mesta now that we need her?) [~] do not want to find the crime that would necessitate war. That's why they shrug off the cover-up. Their reaction to Powell's graphic presentation of smoking guns: Send more inspectors to meet more delays.
9:45:05 PM 
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George Bush, Multilateralist?. There remains a slim chance that President Bush could emerge as a historic figure in the United Nations' evolution toward enduring significance. By Robert Wright. [New York Times: Opinion]
It's an odd perspective to take on this most unilateral of adminsitrations. But here is always the possibilities that all of Bush's cowboy-style sabre rattling [Inapporpriate Mixed Metaphor Warning] could actually lead to "regime change" without war.
The first President Bush dusted off and put to use United Nations machinery that had lain dormant for most of the cold war. His son might yet sustain the United Nations' evolution toward the powerful instrument of peace it was originally meant to be. This would rank as one of the great paradoxes of presidential history. But if Nixon could go to China, President Bush can go through New York
Let's see if he'll get as noble around those other "go it alone" issues, like the Kyoto Treaty.
8:05:40 PM
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What is the feature of government -- all government -- that transcends ideology, culture, race, gender, national origin and WMD?
That lazy good for nothin' Jon Carroll takes on The Department of Energy, NASA and the FBI -- so skilled at investigating everything but their own culpabilities -- and the intrinsic CYA nature of bureaucracy.
Don't you love bureaucracies? Public or private sector, their primary goal is the same: cover their backsides. It's as though the organization were a living entity, a queen bee that required constant feeding by its swarm of drones. Its purpose is to survive. Sometimes honey gets made too, but that's largely an accident.
8:46:02 AM
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The Green Watchdog 2003 report details how the state could realize over $1 billion in General Fund savings this year alone -- the "polluter pays" fees -- while protecting critical environmental protection and social programs. State Controller Steve Westly announced his support for the "polluter pays" philosophy behind the report.
8:09:25 AM
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First half hour of Secretary Powell's testimony at the Security Council hasn't delivered a smoking gun. Those who object to war and call for "legal" rather than "military" process might consider: it does seems to provide reasonable cause for arrest and trial. But how do you do "arrest and trial" of an unwilling "suspect" without armed police forces?
8:03:08 AM
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© Copyright 2006 Gil Friend.
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