Wow, "nearly three hours" of work today

This guy is amazing. Does he expect anyone to be impressed that he works so little while Iraq is in chaos? Most would be too embarrassed, but not good ol' W.

President Bush worked nearly three hours at his Texas ranch on Thursday to design a new U.S. policy in Iraq, then emerged to say that he and his advisers need more time to craft the plan he'll announce in the new year.

Pretty casual attitude, I'd say. Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

I can't believe we've gone all day without one . . . have at it! Read the rest of this post...

Just heard a great concert at Notre Dame

Gregorian chants. Amazing.

On an unrelated note, don't miss the blog documentary on the Sundance channel tonight (Thursday), it's on repeatedly throughout the next few days. It's about political blogging in the US, and should include interviews with a number of us. Read the rest of this post...

More on troop escalation

One of the most frustrating things about all this talk of escalation is that the debate is over whether or not we should add more troops instead of what mission the troops will ostensibly be attempting. It's not, "Will 30,000 more troops be able to accomplish Mission X," but rather "Will 30,000 troops improve the situation" or quell the violence or some such thing. Haven't we all recognized that the current strategy in Iraq is failing? Hasn't just about everybody admitted that, including the two-years-behind-everything pundit class? And if so, how has the conversation gone from changing strategy to changing how many young men and women are on the ground trying to implement that failed strategy?

It's really a remarkable thing that the President has done by countering demands for a strategy change with floating a potential troop escalation. The debate over actual strategy has been virtually sidelined, and now if he does increase troops, he'll try to argue that it's a change in course, and even if he doesn't raise troop levels, he's managed to delay by a couple months any real action, and that debate will start up where it was months ago. I mean, we're even seeing people say that no politicians should offer their own views except in response to a plan from the President! Ridiculous. Read the rest of this post...

More gifts you didn't see this Christmas

Following on our Time Bomb kids' game we posted yesterday, AMERICAblog reader Seth in London sent me one of his Topps trading cards he got back in the 70s.



Just the thing I like to see before flying to Europe. Thanks Seth :-) Though Seth did inspire me to create my own in-flight game...

Read the rest of this post...

Real US troops in Iraq say "troop surge" is a bad idea

Gee, no one could have ever predicted that Bush would cherry pick the troops attending new Secretary of Defense Gates' "meetings" in Iraq, only choosing the "pro-surge" troops to attend. Well, it seems real US troops in Iraq are now speaking out, and they don't think Bush's surge idea is such a bright idea.

But then again, since when do Republicans give a damn about what our troops think. The Republicans sent our troops into a war based on a lie, with unsufficient supplies and troops, with no plan for victory, and now we're surprised they don't care if they kill even more American soldiers in a plan that's only mean to save Bush's ego? Please. Read the rest of this post...

Bush is having a BIG meeting today to talk about a major escalation of his war

All that listening the President's been doing probably has his head spinning. So, today, he's going from listener to decider. By now, the whole world knows that Bush wants to escalate the war -- even against the advice of military leaders. But, he's had a couple weeks to whip them in to submission. From Reuters:

President George W. Bush huddles with top advisers at his Texas ranch on Thursday to hash out options for a new Iraq strategy that he wants to unveil next month to an American public weary of the war.

Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and national security adviser Stephen Hadley will attend the session.

Bush will then make a statement to reporters at about 12:30 p.m. EST (1730 GMT), the White House said.

Among the options Bush has been considering is a short-term troop "surge" aimed at containing rampant violence.

It's almost surreal how Bush is doing the exact opposite of what the best and wisest minds in the country and the American people want. He's being petulant -- it's his war and he can do what he wants to. Bush never thinks of what this war costs in terms of U.S. credibility, in terms of human life and in terms of the actual budget. This is really scary and dangerous.

We'll be hearing from Bush shortly. If you can stomach watching him, provide commentary please. Read the rest of this post...

Saddam's death penalty

Saddam's death sentence has been upheld by an Iraqi appeals court, which, at least in theory, means the sentence should be carried out within 30 days. I think the country might be served by trying him for the other crimes he's been charged with, but the conviction and sentence for crimes against humanity (the mass killing of 148 men and boys in Dujail) clearly mandates this result.

I have no problem with Saddam being executed -- he is certainly a criminal of the highest order, the trial was generally considered fair, and, perhaps most importantly, the vast majority of Iraqis favor it. I also am personally unopposed to the death penalty in theory (though I'm often opposed to it in practice because of how it's applied), believing that there are some crimes which are so terrible that death at the hands of the state is the only appropriate punishment. Still, I also strongly feel that the death penalty is something about which reasonable people can disagree. I have no problem with a broad anti-death penalty stance, and I think it's a morally and intellectually defensible position.

What I don't understand, though, is how someone can claim to be opposed to the death penalty . . . but in favor of it for Saddam. TNR's Marty Peretz manages to pull off this feat while denigrating those who are morally opposed to the death penalty. It's classic TNR, actually: claim to take a position, then immediately contradict that position, and then slam people who agree with the originally-claimed position for being wussies.

In fact, Peretz's post has more than one of the things the rest of us learned to avoid in freshman logic (or ethics or philosophy or whatever): flip-flopping on a position in the span of two sentences, a knee-jerk comparison to the Nazis, and ad hominem attacks. Italian Prime Minister Prodi, who opposes the death penalty in all cases, has reasonably applied this viewpoint to Saddam. Peretz ridicules him, writing:

I don't believe in capital punishment either. Did Prodo believe the death sentence for Adolf Eichmann also wrong? I didn't. Even if Saddam is not exactly in the category of Eichmann, he -- like Pol Pot and other leaders of deliberately killer regimes -- has no claim on our conscience. What's more there is something prissy and finicky in Prodo [sic] if Saddam's fate can touch his soul.

Again, I'm perfectly fine with Saddam being executed, but to label someone "prissy and finicky" for their principled opposition to the death penalty should be beneath a "serious" person. And when it's ridicule for a position that the commenter claims to share, it's absurd.

In any case, there will be speculation about how this will change things in Iraq, with some talking heads warning of an uprising in response and others claiming it will be a turning point towards mass healing and reconciliation. I predict, as I usually do with alleged "turning points," that it won't make much difference at all. The conflict in Iraq long ago moved past Saddam, and while there will certainly be some demonstrations after he's executed (celebration from Kurds and Shia, which you'll see plenty of on your TV; protests from Sunnis, which you won't) and perhaps some associated violence, it will be a just punishment that doesn't do much to help the nation. Read the rest of this post...

John Edwards is officially in the race for President

2006 isn't even over and the race for President is well under way. Today's the day for John Edwards. He's in New Orleans to announce his campaign for President. It's supposed to be a slow news week so his campaign decided they'd get maximum coverage by doing this now. Edwards is getting covered -- he did the morning shows circuit this morning to start:

Two years after his hopes for a Democratic takeover of the White House were narrowly dashed, former vice presidential nominee John Edwards said Thursday that he is making another run at the presidency.

Edwards -- who is calling for cuts in poverty, global warming and troops in Iraq -- scheduled his kickoff in New Orleans, still devastated from last year's Hurricane Katrina. He chose the site to highlight his signature concern of the economic disparity that divides America.

''I'm here to announce I'm a candidate for president of the United States,'' Edwards sold NBC's ''Today Show'' Thursday, one of three back-to-back interviews by the candidate on morning news shows. ''I've reached my own conclusion this is the best way to serve my country.''

Edwards said the difference between his message to voters in 2004 and his 2008 presidential bid is that, ''I've learned since the last campaign that it's great to identify a problem ... but the way you change things is by taking action.''

And Iraq is one of the biggest issues facing the country.

''It would be a huge mistake to put a surge of troops into Iraq,'' Edwards said on ABC's ''Good Morning America. ''It sends exactly the wrong signal. We can maximize our chances for success by making clear we are going to leave Iraq and not stay there forever.''

Here's the website for the campaign. Read the rest of this post...

There's something much worse than flip-flopping

Don't want to overlook this op-ed from John Kerry from last Sunday's Washington Post:

There's something much worse than being accused of "flip-flopping": refusing to flip when it's obvious that your course of action is a flop.

I say this to President Bush as someone who learned the hard way how embracing the world's complexity can be twisted into a crude political shorthand. Barbed words can make for great politics. But with U.S. troops in Iraq in the middle of an escalating civil war, this is no time for politics. Refusing to change course for fear of the political fallout is not only dangerous -- it is immoral.

Read the rest of this post...

Good day from Paris

International travel never ceases to amaze me. Any travel, really. The idea of waking up in one city and going to bed in another is just weird. It's as if it's hard to even imagine life existing somewhere else while you're not there. Okay, I'm admittedly hung over from jet lag, but I think you get what I mean - it's just very weird to imagine the entire world kind of moving along without you.

Anyway, the flight was uneventful, the service extraordinary (God bless Air France), and the food was pretty damn good too. Except the yoghurt. Seriously. Those of you who don't know France won't appreciate this, those of you who do will get what I'm saying. Imagine being given yoghurt on a French flight and when you read the label you see that the yoghurt contains high fructose corn syrup (disgusting), corn starch (I assume as a thickener - why does yoghurt need a thickener?), all sorts of weird "gum" and more crap I couldn't identify. It was vile. I don't even eat that kind of crap in yoghurt in the states, let alone on Air France. [/End sermon.]

And who could have ever imagined flight attendants who are courteous and don't act like you're somehow invading THEIR airline. So, already sat down for a nice coffee, croissants, and croissants aux amandes with Chris and his wife Joelle. I'm off for a small nap to catch up on my sleep, then tonight we're going to see a Gregorian chant concert at Notre Dame.

I love this city. Read the rest of this post...

As Bush continues to rest, relax and enjoy the holidays

The wheels continue to fall off in Iraq. Same story as just about every other day as roadside bombs kill US troops and bombings in Baghdad kills at least 23. Meanwhile the wingnuts continue to talk up Kerry and his visit to Iraq and his stupid joke, completing missing the reality (which they're not very good at anyway) of the situation where their leader is leaving the troops in a bad situation, likely ready to make it worse, while he rests in his comfortable ranch. Kerry may be an ass and I don't care to see him involved at a national scale again but compared to what Bush is doing to America and the troops, Kerry doesn't look so bad.

How's that vacation, George? Are you comfortable? Read the rest of this post...

The "New 7 Wonders"

How could Angkor Wat not be on such a list? As much as I love Paris and the Eiffel Tower, it's not even in the same league...not by a mile. Angkor and Machu Picchu are definites...what else? I'd say Timubuktu and the Great Wall would have to be on the list as well. For those who want to vote, here's the site. If nothing else, this can spur on New Years discussions about where everyone is going for vacation next year. Read the rest of this post...