3.31.07 Blue Radar

Each morning I post some of the miscellaneous politicalstories thatmight not deserve their own posts, but are still news-worthy:

• Texas State Senator Dan Patrick (R) has proposed that women considering abortion be offered $500 not to get one.  (So you're against small government -- unless a wedge issue opportunity presents itself.)
• The Army's war funds can last through July, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.  This contradicts earlier statements from the White House that claimed funds would run out in May.
• House Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman wants Condoleezza Rice to testify under oath about the Administration's Niger uranium claims.
• Against the Administration's wishes, Nancy Pelosi is headed to Syria to start a dialogue with Syrian leaders regarding long-term peace in Iraq and the overall Middle East.  A White House spokesperson called the trip a "bad idea."
• Bernard Kerik, former NY Police Commissioner and former security adviser to Rudolph Giuliani, will be charged with tax evasion and conspiracy to commit wiretapping.  In 2004, President Bush nominated Kerik to replace Tom Ridge as the Homeland Security Chief until it ended in scandal and Kerik withdrew his nomination.
• Excerpt of Barack Obama's speech on the U.S. Constitution in Tallahassee, Florida: "I was a constitutional law professor... I believe in an attorney general who isactually the people's lawyer, not the president's lawyer... I just hope that everyone here has that same sense of urgency that Ido.  I hope the young people in particularuse this campaign as a vehicle to get involved and engaged. This is oneof those rare moments where we could change history, and those momentsdon't come that often. So I hope that all of you take advantage of it."
• President Bush was warned in a memo sent by a top general about the true cause of Pat Tillman's death.  The White House claims Bush never received the memo.
• Time Magazine has the details of the September 7, 2006 firefight between U.S. and Iranian forces on the Iraq-Iran border: "The official release says there were no casualties among the Americans,and makes no mention of any on the Iranian side. U.S. soldiers presentat the firefight, however, tell TIME that American forces killed atleast one Iranian soldier who had been aiming a rocket-propelledgrenade at their convoy of Humvees."
• There was once the Monroe Doctrine.  Then, more than 100 years later, there was the Truman Doctrine.  Columnist Michael Fullilove calls our current strategy in Iraq the Costanza Doctrine, named after Seinfeld's very own George Costanza.  As George once said, "If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right."  Fullilove drew the parallel to the current Iraq policy: "The Iraq policy pursued by the Bush administration satisfies theCostanza criterion: it is the opposite of every foreign policy theworld has ever met."
• A Time Magazine Poll asked Democrats nationwide how they would vote if only Edwards, Clinton and Obama were left in the race.  Here are the results: Hillary Clinton 38%, Barack Obama 30% and John Edwards 26%.  Two weeks ago, John Edwards was at 17%.
• Reverend Jesse Jackson is upset with the Congressional Black Caucus for cutting a deal with Fox News to host a Democratic presidential debate later this year.  "I am disappointed by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute’spartnership with FOX, and strongly encourage them to reverse thatdecision," Jackson urged. "Why would presidential candidates, or an organization that issupposed to advocate for Black Americans, ever give a stamp oflegitimacy to a network that continually marginalizes Black leaders andthe Black community?"

free to add any new stories in the commentbox.

Comments

[Jon Swift]

You might be interested in a piece I wrote three months ago based on a similar idea to the Costanza Doctrine called "President Bush's Plan in Iraq: The Opposite":
http://jonswift.blogspot.com/2007/01/president-bushs-plan-for-iraq-opposite.html

[Tony]

In the previous post Jon Swift posted a link to his blog and a piece he wrote and can be found here.  "President Bush's Plan in Iraq: The Opposite". The link in his comment is broken.

So Bay is saying that--paradoxically--every "bloody, expensive" mistake we make in Iraq just puts us closer to victory. Whenever the media reports on a mistake in Iraq, instead of seeing it as a failure, we should instead look at it instead as a success that hasn't happened yet.

I believe that war has been necessary in the past, and until the world realizes that there are many other issues we should be focusing on , war will become necessary again. However, to make an argument that the war in Iraq is going well because the mistakes tell you so just doesn't add up. It does add up to yet another reason for being there according to the administration and the supporters of the war. 

What does it take to finally decide it isn't working? It seems that every wall we hit, another reason for being there is announced. It seems that Bush is handling this as a "fight to the finish". No American wants to see a "defeat" (well, the majority and certainly myself at least). I've said this before and I'll say it again; What do the arm chair warriors, the conservative commentators and the administration know (which is the minority) that the "anti-war in Iraq Majority" doesn't know?

Tony

[Chief Editor: Todd]

Thank you Jon for the link! Good work too.

[Tony]

"Texas State Senator Dan Patrick (R) has proposed that women considering abortion be offered $500 not to get one."

If you think about this one, I mean REALLY really think about it, chances are you would agree that this is twisted and there is so much wrong with it. You could be Mr or Mrs Pro-Life of the Universe and this doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

[Tony]

I forgot to add it's right up there with the "Purity Balls"

Anyone that missed that post, Google "purity balls" (not perverted...twisted, but not perverted)