Merry Christmas!

clipped from www.powerlineblog.com

Even in Iraq...

The Constitution Will Not Be Televised

""I hope to persuade you that the decline of a print-based epistemology and the accompanying rise of a television-based epistemology has had grave consequences for public life, that we are getting sillier by the minute."
-- Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death

Neil Postman argued persuasively that the content of our discourse depends on the means of communication. For example, he pointed out, smoke signals cannot be used to send complicated messages. Postman, a deep thinker and talented writer, believed that the written word as a communications medium permits careful, rational thought. Television, in contrast, only has room for thinking that is shallow and superficial. "

The Past Blasts

clipped from http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives2/2007/12/019319.php Resolved, That the aim and object of the Democratic party is to preserve the Federal Union and the rights of the States unimpaired, and they hereby declare that they consider that the administrative usurpation of extraordinary and dangerous powers not granted by the Constitution — the subversion of the civil by military law in States not in insurrection; the arbitrary military arrest, imprisonment, trial, and sentence of American citizens in States where civil law exists in full force; the suppression of freedom of speech and of the press; Resolved, That the shameful disregard of the Administration to its duty in respect to our fellow citizens who now are and long have been prisoners of war and in a suffering condition, deserves the severest reprobation Sound familiar? The Democrats are saying 1) The war is lost; 2) Let's negotiate; 3) The Constitution is trashed; 4) They steal elections; 5) We support the troops. You've got to hand it to these Dems. They're certainly consistent.

That was the 1864 Democratic Party platform. Yes, 1864.

War has never solved anything you know. LOL

Today's NYeT BDS Update

clipped from www.ibdeditorials.com Media Bias: The paper of record blames the "mortgage bonfire" on President Bush and his "laissez-faire" housing policies. But to get there, the Times completely ignored history prior to 2002. That's when Bush gave a speech in Atlanta and announced a goal to increase minority homeowners by 5.5 million. According to the Times, this was the event that started the mortgage meltdown. "He pushed hard to expand homeownership, especially among minorities," its lengthy front-page piece asserts. "But his housing policies encouraged lax lending standards." If the Times had said the same thing about Bush's predecessor, its story might have a kernel of truth to it. Clinton and his top banking regulators were far more aggressive in pushing minority homeownership. It's plain the New York Times is trying to litigate its case — without full discovery or a fair trial — on behalf of its client, the president-elect, who derided the Republican "Ownership Society" during the campaign.

Entitlement

clipped from pajamasmedia.com The probable appointment of Caroline Kennedy, the 51-year-old daughter of former President John Kennedy, to fill Secretary-of-State nominee Hillary Clinton’s New York Senate seat is both laughable and yet a parable for our bankrupt times. Consider aristocratic entitlement. Ms. Kennedy apparently spends a great deal of her time divided between her Park Avenue Upper-East-Side Manhattan townhouse and her hereditary estate on Martha’s Vineyard. She has had no real experience with the ordinary lives of New Yorkers, either a few dozen blocks away in Harlem (despite a sudden ad hoc lunch last week with the Rev. Sharpton at a soul food diner) or the state’s rural towns to the north. Ms. Kennedy is about as undiverse as one could imagine. But there is plenty of evidence that Ms. Kennedy reflects the current Democratic Party’s obsession with celebrity and Hollywood-like imagery

Cycles of History Again: We're Somewhere In The Bold Print...

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largess from the public treasury. From that time on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the results that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's great civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence:


from bondage to spiritual faith;
from spiritual faith to great courage;
from courage to liberty;
from liberty to abundance;
from abundance to selfishness;
from selfishness to complacency;
from complacency to apathy;
from apathy to dependency;
from dependency back again to bondage."

Making Us All Rich

clipped from bloomberg.com “How do you get a bailout, Dad? Does it go to good or bad companies?” Bailout Criteria “I know it must sound strange, Junior. Many of the companies getting government money did bad things. They took risks with other people’s money. They padded their own pockets instead of watching out for their customers. And they lost a lot of money in the process.” “How do you get paid to do bad things? You don’t give me my allowance unless I walk Rusty after school, take out the garbage and clean up my room.” “You’re right, Junior. The government should really help those in need.” “C’mon Dad. If it were that simple, the government could write everyone a check for a million dollars, and make us all rich.” “Junior, I can tell you really have a knack for this stuff. I’m glad I could help you.”

The Children

clipped from www.davidwarrenonline.com In this book, the magnificent Dutch historian and linguist shows that play is not merely an element in human societies, but essential to them; that human cultures are themselves largely products of many forms of play. "Civilization is, in its earliest phases, played. It does not come from play like a babe detaching itself from the womb: it arises in and as play, and never leaves it." As Christmas approaches, we have been taught to think of the poor and the disabled, the old who are shut in, the dying in our hospitals, the prisoners in our jails -- and at our best we visit them. But we must remember that the largest disadvantaged group in our society -- often deprived alike of love and of their freedom -- is our children. Christmas means nothing if it is not for them.

The Welfare Of Ponzi

clipped from www.davidwarrenonline.com And the same bailout principle designed to save Detroit's unions by bankrolling management might be applied in this case. Just bail out Mr. Madoff's Ponzi scheme until the economy improves, and it becomes self-funding again. Why not? For decades, every government in the Western world has been using current revenues to pay health, unemployment, old-age, and every other kind of "insurance" and "pension" entitlement. This is the core financial principle of the welfare state. It is a Ponzi scheme on a scale vastly beyond even Bernard Madoff's imaginings. But instead of having the people who conceived and executed this scheme arrested, we have honoured them as great humanitarians and "progressives." The authors of what is actually the biggest Ponzi scheme in the history of the world have needed a constantly growing population, earning constantly more dollars per head, being constantly inflated (both the dollars and the heads), to keep their scheme running.

Sugarplum Gumdrops

clipped from iowahawk.typepad.com WASHINGTON - Flanked by officials from the United Elf Toytinkerers union, SantaCorp CEO Kris Kringle today told the House Ways and Means Committee that without immediate government financial help, his firm would be forced to declare bankruptcy, lay off thousands of elves and reindeer, and potentially cancel its annual worldwide Christmas Eve toy delivery. "These are grim economic times for everyone, but even more so for non-profit toy manufacturers in the Snow Belt," said Kringle. "Our accountants have indicated that we are on track to exhaust our reserves of cash and magical pixie fairydust by December 23. Oh deary me." Kringle and UET union president Binky McGiggles presented a draft emergency bailout plan to the committee calling for US $18 trillion in federal grants, loan guarantees, and sugarplum gumdrops that they said would keep the company solvent through December 26.

Spectacular

clipped from pajamasmedia.com JOHN TIERNEY: Does being spectacularly wrong about a major issue in your field of expertise hurt your chances of becoming the presidential science advisor? Apparently not, judging by reports from DotEarth and ScienceInsider that Barack Obama will name John P. Holdren as his science advisor on Saturday. Dr. Holdren, now a physicist at Harvard, was one of the experts in natural resources whom Paul Ehrlich enlisted in his famous bet against the economist Julian Simon during the “energy crisis” of the 1980s. In 1980 Dr. Holdren helped select five metals — chrome, copper, nickel, tin and tungsten — and joined Dr. Ehrlich and Dr. Harte in betting $1,000 that those metals would be more expensive ten years later. They turned out to be wrong on all five metals, and had to pay up when the bet came due in 1990 Next: Paul Wolfowitz for head of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.

Just A Guy In My Neighborhood Under The Bus (Part 82364)

clipped from ace.mu.nu One good thing for Republicans: Obama is a moronic liar. Clinton was a good liar (much to our annoyance). This cat is a retarded one. That will be helpful. So why did he tell such a ridiculous lie? I have to imagine it was to head off the next round of questions. Like what exactly did Rahm Emanuel propose as a counter-offer for Blago's pay-for-play requests? How much did he entertain the idea of playing ball one more time? At what point, if any, did Emanuel say "This is illegal and improper and these discussions are now ended?" Or did he continue trying to "work with" Blago? I assume Emanuel wasn't offering money for the seat. (Ass-ume.) But did he offer to have Obama campaign for Blago? Fundraise for him? You can just see the Obama pattern unfolding with the Senate seat fixing scandal. 1. I don't know him 2. I know him a little 3. I know him but I thought he'd gone to rehab 4. I'm giving a major speech condemning everything he stands for

Deja Failure

clipped from www.davidwarrenonline.com In his paper of 1985, Cardinal Ratzinger simply went the extra step, to tell us what that regime is. He reminds us that "Western Civ" created free markets, and not vice versa; and inevitably, that the Roman Catholic Church created Western Civ. Like every other component of a high civilization, the market economy is, in itself, a mixed blessing, therefore a dangerous idol. All my adult life, it seems, I have been explaining to libertarians that this is the difference between us: that we're both in favour of free markets, but only one of us is also in favour of civilization. I am not a social liberal, like most of them, but rather an intense social conservative. Moreover, I hold that all civilizations remain "socially conservative" until such time as they begin to collapse: as true of Confucian China as of the Christian West. The rebuilding we need begins with church and family.

No, Sorry -- An F

clipped from legalinsurrection.blogspot.com The AG also does not address the existence of the alternative legislative impeachment process, other than to say that it might take too long. The failure to address this alternative other than in passing requires at least a full grade level deduction. If a criminal or ethical taint were sufficient to constitute a "disability," then there would be no need for a constitutional impeachment provision in the Illinois Constitution, which gives the sole power of impeachment to the House of Representatives, with trial in the Senate, presided over by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The AG again construes the Constitution in such a way as to render one of its provisions meaningless. What is most shocking about the AG's papers is that I expected so much more. Some case authority. Something other than strained arguments based on the dictionary. Something more highbrow than quoting Barack Obama and Harry Reid. The AG may end up winning this case, but not on the strength of her papers. C-

And this woman was on Obambi's short list to replace him. [bad language deleted]

Out Of The Memory Hole

clipped from www.youtube.com

"Winning Glory"

clipped from althouse.blogspot.com So the safeguard against the AG's abuse of power is that the court will have the role of deciding? How can it be the court's role to make the final call about things that belong in the realm of impeachment? Why do constitutions put impeachment trials in legislatures? Because courts are ill-suited to such decision-making. AND: Keep in mind that the legislative impeachment process is something under the control of Madigan's own father. The court asked her Madigan was asked "Do you know why your father has been appearing to be somewhat reticent on the -- (off mike)?" She told them to "ask him," which, the transcript notes, provoked laughter. Do you think that's funny? The speculation is that the speaker is sitting back on this so Lisa can take the lead and get ownership on the issue," said one House member who favors impeachment but requested anonymity. What a misguided notion of how to win glory!

That's The Ticket ... Kah-razy

clipped from ace.mu.nu As suspected, the AG's curious creation of a judicial power to remove an elected governor is a bit self-serving: [Illinois AG] Lisa Madigan's father is Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. He's another big time ward boss in the Chicago Machine. Kass says, "They don't want a Blogojevich impeachment hearing which would basically allow Blagojevich to talk about all of the deals they've done." The Chicago Tribune spins this as Madigan just wanting "ownership" of the issue, not wanting the legislature to "steal her thunder" by doing the task they are constitutionally charged with doing and she is not. I think Kass is right that there's a bit more to it than thunder and ownership. Meanwhile, Jesse Jackson, Jr. joins in the media-Democratic narrative that Blago is just kah-razy, and so, I guess we're to infer, cannot possibly be representative of Chicago machine politics.

Something Missing

clipped from volokh.com From the evening of Nov. 10 until yesterday, Blagojevich, Obama, and his transition team acted in ways that are consistent with a knowledge of Blagojevich’s bribery attempt and a rejection of that attempt. What doesn't fit easily with the timeline is Obama's statement yesterday. It should be noted that it is not a crime to fail to report a bribery attempt. The federal misprision of felony statute would seem to make it a federal crime to fail to report a federal felony But case law has conclusively determined that mere non-reporting is not enough. Active concealment or the acceptance of a benefit for concealing is required. Yet, looking at this timeline of Blagogate, it seems quite possible that someone in the Obama Camp is either lying or at least not revealing what they know. Something important is missing from this story. Let's hope that, whatever it is, the absent fact or explanation will allow the narrative to fit Obama's denial more naturally.

Touch Your Nose

clipped from www.weeklystandard.com Roll Call scoops everyone with an interesting piece that suggests how Governor Blagojevich may have sounded out Barack Obama about his vacant Senate seat, as well as giving a candidate for identifying 'Adviser B': Blagojevich has relied heavily on political advice from inside-the-Beltway strategists since taking over the statehouse. In particular, political consultant William Knapp of Washington-based Squier Knapp Dunn Communications has worked closely with the Illinois governor. Knapp’s partner, Anita Dunn, was a top adviser to Obama during the presidential campaign. Knapp, who is a member of the governor’s small inner circle of advisers, helped develop the strategy that catapulted Blagojevich to become the first Democrat in 26 years elected Illinois governor. In doing so, Knapp became Blagojevich’s highest-paid Washington consultant. Did Blagojevich use Bill Knapp to reach out to the Obama campaign -- via Knapp's partner Anita Dunn

George Who?

clipped from atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com I don’t see anyone making this point in the ‘Seatgate’ (Senate Seat for sale). Advisor B obviously has the authority to represent Obama, and has the knowledge and ‘where with all’ to know how Obama operates and what Obama would ‘approve’ of. For Advisor B to be presenting and representing the idea of a 501( c) (4) non profit and for him to have all of the knowledge on how they operate, Advisor B incriminates himself and Obama that ‘this has already been done before’. I would assume a whole lot of 501 ( c) (4)’s that are tied to Obama and Michelle, and other Democrat Politicians are getting sanitized right now.  It is also interesting to point out who the MASTER of 501 ( c) (4)’s is, none other that George Soros, although many of the Arabs and muslim organizations have been getting pretty good at them to. Advisor B may have revealed ‘the cards’ that Obama and Michelle are already holding in promised 501 ( c) (4)’s, the next step would be to find out ‘who’ set them up.

The Real OFitzmas

clipped from minx.cc 27  One scenario that I can imagine is Fitzgerald (or his people) warning the Obama camp that they were getting close to the quicksand in the swamp after hearing the 2-hour horse-trading marathon through the wire tap. I have no doubt that this is exactly what happened. The media doesn't need to cover for BHO. Fitz has already seen fit to do so.

Let's Make A Deal

clipped from ace.mu.nu And Obama's denials are very circumscribed: n a news conference in Chicago to introduce his choice as secretary of health and human services in the new administration, Obama reiterated that he has never spoken to Blagojevich about the appointment of a replacement to serve out the remainder of Obama's Senate term, and he said he has not been contacted by any federal investigators regarding the case. Obama said he has asked his team to "gather all the facts about any staff contacts" that might have taken place between his office and Blagojevich or his advisers. But he said he was "absolutely certain" that his office was not involved in "any deal-making" with Blagojevich on the Senate seat. Obviously, "I" didn't talk about this to Blago allows for the possibility that, say, Rahm Emmanuel did, and a denial about "any deal-making" doesn't mean deals weren't discussed. Just not made. Thanks to CJ.

I Think I Know Now What It Will Take To Kick Off The Oministration

clipped from gatewaypundit.blogspot.com Ruh-Roh... It was already reported that Rahm Emanuel was keeping quiet since the Blagojevich Scandal broke. a Comeback. Thursday, December 11, 2008 Ruh-Roh...Rahm Emanuel Continues to Duck Questions On Hot Rod Ruh-Roh... It was already reported that Rahm Emanuel was keeping quiet since the Blagojevich Scandal broke. But, this morning and later this afternoon Rahm Emanuel continued to duck questions about the scandal. ** The Smoking Gun, that bastion of conservative thought, already reported that Emanuel was linked to the case: "Rahm Emanuel, the incoming White House chief of staff, is referred to in the affidavit as "President-elect Advisor."

He will have to issue his pardons at the start of his term rather than the end. And his pardons may need to be issued from the federal pen.

But the Dems will wonder why anyone would consider it problematic...

The Shut Down

clipped from www.qando.net As we head toward government health care, I continue to keep a wary eye on the systems presently funcitoning in other countries - like the UK's NHS. You pick up little nuggets like this: The NHS already restricts access to expensive new drugs that could benefit older age groups — such as sufferers of Alzheimer's and macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness — amid fears that the costs could cripple the health service. Why is that important, besides the obvious fact that government is restricting treatment due to cost to 'it'? The fact that the reason these "expensive new drugs" are available is because there is a system out there in which there is the incentive to develop them. Yes, it is that "horribly expensive" American system, where drug companies are known as Big Pharma and considered to be evil by a certain class. But what happens if that particular engine of innovation is essentially shut down?

Sarkozy Speaks Sagely

clipped from www.qando.net "I have said this to my friend Kofi [Annan]: I find it impossible to shake hands with somebody who has dared to say that Israel must be wiped off the map. "I know perfectly well that we must resolve what is perhaps the most serious international crisis we are having to resolve: that of Iran moving towards a nuclear bomb. "We cannot resolve it without talking to Iranian leaders, but, after what was the Shoah, after what was the 20th century, I cannot sit at the same table as a man who dares to say: Israel must be wiped off the map." How indeed. But the world continues to crowd their table and they continue to show their arrogance, defiance and disdain. Perhaps if more world leaders expressed their thoughts about cabal's such as those that constitute Iran's leadership, it would do more to delegitimize them both at home and abroad.

Arrived And Then Some

clipped from www.powerlineblog.com Spitzer and Edwards will walk away from their respective scandals the multi-millionaire celebrities they were when they walked in, with a fawning (for liberals) press telling us that (a) everybody does it, or (b) to err is human, or (c) we can't be so judgmental, or (d) [fill in the blank]. It's that we (or at least they) learned from The Big One ten years ago. Bill Clinton disgraced his office, lied, and encouraged or (possibly) arranged for others to lie. He also granted at least one pardon after the pardonee's former (but still friendly) wife forked over a few hundred thousand in "contributions." And what happened? Clinton's popularity went up, his spouse became a serious candidate for President, he's touted by the press as an elder statesman, his guy at DoJ who checked off on the pardon is about to become Attorney General, and of course Clinton himself lives a life of luxury and adulation. The world of perverse incentives that the Left labored so long to create has arrived.

Corruption? Yes, We Can!

clipped from hotair.com How serious has this scandal tarnished the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), one of the largest public-sector unions in the nation?  Badly enough to gain the notice of the New York Times.  Steven Greenhouse does a good job providing the background to the union connections in this scandal, and shows why the SEIU made sense as a deal-cutting go-between for Rod Blagojevich and Barack Obama: The federal criminal complaint filed against Mr. Blagojevich said his chief of staff, John Harris, had suggested to a service employees’ official that the union should help make the governor the head of Change to Win, the federation of seven unions that broke away from the A.F.L.-C.I.O. The complaint said Mr. Blagojevich was seeking a position that paid $250,000 to $300,000 a year. In exchange, the complaint strongly suggested, the service employees union and Change to Win would help persuade Mr. Blagojevich to name Valerie Jarrett, President-elect Barack Obama’s first choice,

See comment #3 for the title.

The Hawk Strikes Again

clipped from iowahawk.typepad.com CHICAGO - The ongoing corruption probe into Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich took a dramatic turn this evening, as federal agents working for US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald announced that they had seized the governor's eBay account. It is as yet unknown how the latest seizure will effect the outcome of the case. IOWAHAWK EXCLUSIVE! RUSH UPDATE! Leaked documents from latest sealed federal indictment (click to embiggen)

Parallel Universes

clipped from www.qando.net While the President-elect trots out his New New Deal, which smacks more of Soviet style planning than free market recovery, Communist China is taking an alternate course: CHINA may soon cut business tax as part of its efforts to prop up the slowing economy amid the global financial crisis, state media reported on Tuesday. As for the great public works that Obama plans, even his new budget chief knows it isn't going to do what Obama thinks it will do. When Peter Orszag ran the Congressional Budget Office, he had this to say about Obama-like programs: "Practically speaking, however, public works involve long start-up lags. Large-scale construction projects of any type require years of planning and preparation. Even those that are "on the shelf" generally cannot be undertaken quickly enough to provide timely stimulus to the economy.

I Was Wrong -- He Does Have Leadership Experience After All...

...of the Chicago Mafia.

clipped from gatewaypundit.blogspot.com Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, taking an oath next to Barack Obama pre-2008, allegedly said, "I want to make money" off the power to pick Obama's Senate successor. (NY Post) Rahm Emanuel said that he and Obama were top advisors to Blagojevich during his run for governor. The Roaring Republican reported: Ryan Lizza reported in the New Yorker that Obama received “his first high-level experience in a statewide campaign” while advising Blagojevich during his campaign for governor. Additionally Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s current Chief-of-Staff also was a top strategist for that campaign. From the report: He and Obama “participated in a small group that met weekly when Rod was running for governor,” Emanuel said. “We basically laid out the general election, Barack and I and these two.” A spokesman for Blagojevich confirmed Emanuel’s account... But, now Rahm Emanuel is singing a different tune and trying to distance himself from Hot Rod

Just Asking

clipped from dyn.politico.com The stinging criminal complaint against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris raises lots of questions for President-elect Barack Obama – questions he’ll have a chance to answer Thursday when he does his first news conference since Blagojevich was charged. Here are seven worth asking: 1 – “Did you communicate directly or indirectly with Blagojevich about picking your replacement in the U.S. Senate?” Obama issued a categorical statement Tuesday that he personally hadn’t spoken with Blagojevich about the seat — but seemed to correct himself in a way that suggested others around Obama might have. 2 – “Why didn’t you or someone on your team correct your close adviser David Axelrod when he said you had spoken to Blagojevich about picking your replacement?” 4 – “Did you or anyone close to you contact the FBI or U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald about Blagojevich’s alleged efforts to sell your Senate seat to the highest bidder?”

Blago Bussed

clipped from ace.mu.nu Obama's getting pretty good at denying any contact whatsoever with people known to be close associates.

Move along, nothing to see here...

The Sunnis Object

clipped from gatewaypundit.blogspot.com Charles Krauthammer celebrated this historical pact today at the Washington Post: The barbarism in Mumbai and the economic crisis at home have largely overshadowed an otherwise singular event: the ratification of military and strategic cooperation agreements between Iraq and the United States. They must not pass unnoted. They were certainly noted by Iran, which fought fiercely to undermine the agreements. For the United States, this represents the single most important geopolitical advance in the region since Henry Kissinger turned Egypt from a Soviet client into an American ally. The only significant opposition bloc was the Sadrists, a mere 30 seats out of 275. The ostensibly pro-Iranian religious Shiite parties resisted Tehran's pressure and championed the agreement. As did the Kurds. The Sunnis put up the greatest fight. But their concern was that America would be withdrawing too soon, leaving them subject to overbearing and perhaps even vengeful Shiite dominance.

To what Obambi will almost certainly do next.

NerObama

clipped from hotair.com Now, with the federal government deep in debt, unwilling to address an entitlement disaster, and throwing hundreds of billions of dollars at private enterprises in a vain attempt to rescue them from their own bad management and labor practices, Obama wants to create a new WPA to renew American infrastructure not because it’s needed as much as Obama needs to ensure his re-election. None of this comes as a great shock, though.  While Obama has given some indications that he doesn’t intend a massive shift to the Left on defense and foreign policy, his economic plans have always favored statism, class warfare, and a striking ignorance of history and reality.  Recreating the WPA and proposing even more massive spending programs in the face of our precarious financial condition and debt load finds its equivalent only perhaps in the apocryphal fiddling of Nero while Rome burned.

You Guys Should Be Ashamed

clipped from www.powerlineblog.com

Really?

OZero OAccountability

clipped from gatewaypundit.blogspot.com Yid With Lid reported that Susan Rice is one those responsible for letting Osama Bin Laden get away in the 1990's. Susan Rice in Sudan. Rice bungled a deal with Sudan to capture terrorist mastermind Osama Bin Laden. (Sudan Net) On Monday, Barack Obama is expected to announce that he has chosen the same Susan Rice as his UN Ambassador and that the position will be elevated to a Cabinet Level job. Here's more on the country's next UN Ambassador: She deserves a hefty portion of blame for the fact that Osama bin Laden wasn't neutralized during the 1990s. "The FBI, in 1996 and 1997, had their efforts to look at terrorism data and deal with the bin Laden issue overruled every single time by the State Department, by Susan Rice and her cronies, who were hell-bent on destroying the Sudan," one-time Clinton diplomatic troubleshooter Mansoor Ijaz told radio host Sean Hannity in 2002.

Submission In Mumbai

clipped from www.powerlineblog.com Corroborating the doctors' claims about torture was the information that the Intelligence Bureau had about the terror plan. "During his interrogation, Ajmal Kamal said they were specifically asked to target the foreigners, especially the Israelis," an IB source said. Phillips comments: The atrocities demonstrated with crystal clarity what the Islamist war is all about - and the western commentariat didn't understand because it simply refuses to acknowledge, even now, what that war actually is. It does not arise from particular grievances. It is not rooted in "despair" over Palestine. It is not a reaction to the war in Iraq. It is a war waged in the name of Islam against America, Britain, Hindus, Jews and all who refuse to submit to Islamic conquest.