France On Alert

An ex-Administration official who knows about these things reports that in light of the Madrid bombing and blackmail from a shadowy terrorist organization that the French government seems reluctant to talk about, France has raised its terror alert level from "run" to "hide".

The only two higher levels in France are "surrender" and "collaboration"

Jihad Is Over. If You Want It.

So the Israelis make good on their promise to send terrorists and their leaders to an early grave by dispatching Sheikh Ahmed Yassin of Hamas -- seemingly just months before nature itself finished the job on the "spiritual leader." And what happens?

The Palestinians were enraged and vowed to kill more Israelis, but come on, it's pretty hard to wratchet up the rage when you're already at max power. The rage level is at 10. What are they going to do, turn it up to 11? "It's one more."

Well, Reuters is reporting today that some Palestinians are raged-out rather than outraged.

"The new Hamas leader is even more hard-line than the last one. This worries me. I just want some peace and stability. The top priority is feeding my six children, not Jihad," said Omar Hajaj, 40, a trader.

Could it be that Hamas is loosing its grip at last? Could it be that the average Palestinian is not willing to incinerate himself in order to ensure a Judenrein Middle East? Perhaps there are radicalized believers who are nonetheless more interested in replicating the Israeli's economic and social progress rather than wrecking it.

If so, this would be a very troubling development for those in Europe who claim that terrorism cannot be countered with military force. If the "extralegal" assassination of a crippled old man who inspired one of the most virulent Islamofascist dealth cults -- in a region notable for its virulent dealth cults -- can actually bring a measure of peace to the region then offing Yassin was what's called a game changing event.

The result? First of all, the various death cult leaders may feel their popularity waning . . . and in that part of the world unpopularity can get you killed. Second of all, they may begin to look for more vulnerable targets than Israel and the United States . . . targets such as France or Italy.

"We are sick of seeing heads and body parts. We treat about 100 victims of Israeli troops a month. When I heard Yassin was killed I was sad and worried because Rantissi is more hard-line."

So finally and new calculation is setting in. Every time Hamas mounts a murder "operation" against the Israelis, it's the Palestinians who seem to suffer more. That kind of cause and effect is difficult to express diplomatically. Helicopter gunships generally deliver the message more effectively.

Having experimented with negotiation and conciliation during the Barak years, Israelis are now experimenting with military force focused against the people and organizations most willing to employ violence. And the experiment is working.

One of the most interesting findings of this experiment is that far from breeding more and more terrorists, targeted killings of the most radical thugs seems to decrease the number of radical thugs in a perfect 1:1 ratio.

If all the Palestinians who claimed they wanted to be martyrs actually attempted to become martyrs there would be wave after wave of suicide bombers in numbers limited only by the number of explosive garments the Arab fashion industry is capable of producing in a 17 hour shift.

The world braces for a volcanic eruption of violence in Gaza and what happens? Nothing happens.

That's because the Israelis are not scared to call the bluff of the Islamofascists. They are addressing the root causes of death cult terrorism -- the leaders of the death cults -- knowing that death cult leaders are a finite upset of the larger Palestinian set which is itself a tiny segment of the human being set. Eliminate the subset and al the other sets can live in peace.

Last week a death cult cell scared the bejeebus out of the French government by claiming "We love death as much as you love life." But that's not true. Unless, of course, the author was dead when he wrote that.

At some point the frightened nations of Europe will have to recognize that the root cause of Islamofacsist terrorism is the existence of Islamofacsist terrorists. Reduce their number and you reduce their threat. But give them a seat at the table and soon you'll find yourself sitting all by yourself.

Here's the Strategery, Folks

"A year ago, Iraq was ruled by the whims of one cruel man. Today, Iraq has a new interim law that guarantees basic rights for all: freedom of religion, the right to cast a secret ballot, and equality under the law. And these historic changes are sending a message across the region from Damascus to Tehran: Freedom is the future of every nation."

President Bush

What Does Taiwan Have to Do With Spain?

The President of Taiwan is shot during a closely contested political campaign just days before the election. Will the violence influence the outcome?

Of course it will just as violence influenced the outcome of the recent election in Spain.

Assuming you nothing about the candidates or the would-be assassins, wouldn't you conclude that someone or some group does not want the attacked candidate elected? Wouldn't you then conclude that a vote for the opponent of the attacked candidate would further the attackers' political aims?

And observing in perfect ignorance of the local politics wouldn't you feel a slightly greater desire to vote for the attacked candidate simply as a way to show that political violence will not be rewarded?

I know how I would vote. I don't know the politics of Taiwan or Spain but I don't think that I'm alone in thinking that the people of Spain who responded to violence by voting for the candidate and party that takes the more conciliatory approach to the perpetrators of political violence (be they ETA or al Qaeda or Hamas) make a mistake and have, as a result, rewarded the terrorists who murdered 200 innocent people in Madrid.

Some say the Socialists were leading the Popular Party before the bombings. It doesn't really matter, does it? The impression is already deeply made around the globe: Spain faced the threat of violence and capitulated.

Uncomfortable Analogy Watch

“And do not suppose this is the end. This is only the beginning of the reckoning. This is only the first sip, the first foretaste of a bitter cup which will be proffered to us year by year unless by a supreme recovery of moral health and martial vigour, we arise again and take our stand for freedom as in olden time. … We are in the presence of a disaster of the first magnitude which has befallen Great Britain and France. Do not let us blind ourselves to that. It must now be accepted that all the countries of Central and Eastern Europe will make the best terms they can with the triumphant Nazi Power. The system of alliances in Central Europe upon which France has relied for her safety has been swept away, and I can see no means by which it can be reconstituted.”

Winston Churchill, 1938

Blame it on The Jews

Ever wonder where the people outside of the United States get their rather unorthodox views of George Bush and American foreign policy? The most credible sources to these well-meaning auslanders are people like Michael Moore or Noam Chomsky who are, after all, Americans and carry with them comforting messages that seem to validate rather than challenge cherished stereotypes.

Today another American voice articulates the warm and fuzzy hatreds that most of the rest of us have long since discarded.

Dr. W. Scott Thompson of the prestigious Fletcher School at Tufts University publishes an article in The Jakarta Post that would not be out of place in Der Sturmer. His thesis: Jews control the United States in order to benefit Israel. How else, he speculates, can you explain America’s suicidal alliance with the devilish Israelis?

On the marrow of Sept. 11 Israel proclaimed that now we could understand their suffering from terrorism. That is the central fallacy. They were a major cause of our suffering. For terrorism against America, more than any other single factor, is caused by the sense of deprivation in Palestine and on behalf of Palestine.

According to Osama bin Laden two weeks after 9/11:

”What America is tasting now is something insignificant compared to what we have tasted for scores of years. Our nation (the Islamic world) has been tasting this humiliation and this degradation for more than 80 years.”

That would seem to predate the state of Israel. But no matter.

Israel is an annoyance to al Qaeda but hardly the sole reason for their humiliation. Does anyone think al Qaeda would evaporate and its members become good global citizens if only Israel ceased to exist?

Yes, apparently a lot of people think that. I know it’s a tired analogy but it’s true that there were also a lot of people who thought the Nazis would moderate themselves if only the Jews left Germany peacefully. Hell, there are still respectable people in Europe who believe that.

If there was any doubt that Thompson is on the fringe of respectable discourse he eliminates it by invoking the vision of that grand old statesman Mahathir Mohammed.

It is simply not permitted to call attention to the fact of record of Jewish financial influence and ownership of major media in the U.S. -- or, far more importantly, American political circles.

Not permitted yet constantly repeated, not coincidentally, by every political extremist on the Right and Left from David Duke to the Rev. Al Sharpton. It’s certainly permitted in America to say that the Jews control the banks and the media but unlike in Europe or Malaysia you will not be taken seriously.

It’s well known that the Dutch are among the biggest investors in the United States but as yet there is no mass movement to drink genever or license prostitutes. Of course, The Netherlands is another member of the non-existent coalition of the unilateral and may actually be the puppeteer nation pulling the strings of the United States but calling attention to Dutch influence is simply not permitted in the U.S.

Thompson goes on to uncover the suppressed news that Israel has weapons of mass destruction.

“If WMD were the problem,” he says, “apparently we went after the wrong country.” In fact, the United States has even more nukes that Israel. Perhaps we should have invaded Nevada.

WMD, like handguns, do not kill people by themselves. Intentions make the rather crucial difference.

Israel is waiting to unleash nuclear holocaust until when? Until its very existence is at stake. And a nuclear armed Osama would wait to unleash his nukes until when? Until the date happens to have an 11 in it.

Slight difference. A nuance as the WMD-possessing French would say.

Thompson says that Israel is also building a new Berlin Wall and oppressing minorities. Another nuance: the Berlin Wall was built to keep people in, not out.

Israel is the only country left in the world that legally enshrines suppression of an ethnic group by another.

Presumably Thompson was not writing that from a hotel room in Mecca because non-believers like him are not allowed to set foot there even if he happens to be a Saudi citizen.

On the other hand, Israeli Palestinians not only can vote in Israel, they can form political parties, campaign for office without fear of being beaten to death with rocks and serve as elected officials. If only the same could be said for Palestinians in the Arab world . . . or any Arab in the Arab world for that matter. (Outside of Iraq of course where democracy is taking root).

And what ranting apology for the Islamofascist death cult would be complete without a bizarre psychoanalysis of George W. Bush?

The president, desperate to prove his worth to his father, like any son, has sought to outdo him and win where his father lost. "Arik" (Sharon) showed him the way. Allied with the "moral majority" and its fixation on the Israel of Biblical texts, Bush the younger found someone who could allow him both to differentiate himself from -- and stand up to -- his father, whose views of the Israelis as president was ever so much less generous. In fact, almost diametrically opposed.

I must admit, I had never thought of this one.

In order to stand up to his domineering father, young George became president of the United States so that he could support Israel. I’m sure that would have pissed off my father too, but I found other outlets that didn’t involve convincing 50 million people to vote for me.

What would an Indonesian student or Swiss banker or Egyptian cab driver make of an article like this? Well, first of all it would validate their prejudices because it comes from a seemingly reliable source.

But how much do you or I know about Dr. Thompson? Nothing at all but this tirade with his name on it. It stands on its own. You are forced to draw your own conclusion. Does this person sound like a thoughtful observer or a bit of a crank? And importantly, does his affiliation with The Fletcher School reflect badly on the institution?

Why not contact Stephen Bosworth, the Dean of The Fletcher School at (617)627-3050 or stephen.bosworth@tufts.edu tell him what you think?

Prodi: Resistance Is Futile

The grinning face of European appeasement shows up on Al Jazeera today.

The president of the EU, Romani Prodi, says

"It is clear that using force is not the answer to resolving the conflict with terrorists."

Keep in mind he is speaking of the same terrorists who blew body parts all over Madrid last week using explosives packed with nails and metal shards to inflict as much physical damage on men, women, and children as possible. One observer said the area near the blasts was covered in ribs and severed limbs.

What would Prodi do to counter such people? What misunderstandings does Prodi think can be resolved? What common ground does Prodi see with Islamofascists? What does Prodi think these people want?

"We must remember," Prodi says, "that it has been a year since the war in Iraq started. Terrorism is infinitely more powerful than a year ago."

This is, of course, absurd. Where might this infinite power be coming from? Certainly not Afghanistan, or Iraq, or Libya. Where is this infinite power manifesting itself? Not in the United States, or Israel, nor again, Iraq.

Does Prodi really believe that confronting terrorists and dismantling their networks makes the world unsafe? Apparently so. But Prodi has a solution.

"In Madrid, there are explicit demands from the population for Europe to ensure people's security and protection."

Notice, these Madrilenos are not calling for Spain to ensure their safety but Europe.

Prodi conveniently goes on to take sides in the American presidential campaign.

He said he felt "encouraged" by changes taking place in the US which appeared more willing to cooperate with the rest of the world.

"All the Democrats and some Republicans believe that the United States must cooperate with other countries and should act alone only in exceptional circumstances."

"It is not Europe which is getting closer to the United States but rather America which is moving toward us."

Could Romani Prodi be one of those shadowy European leaders that is rooting for John Kerry? Without a doubt.

Spain Surrenders

Voters in Spain have spoken. But what did they say?

Apparently they said that al Qaeda has targeted them because of their government's support of the Bush Administration's opening of an Iraqi front in the War on Terror. But that's odd . . . I thought Iraq and al Qaeda were not related?

They said that barbaric violence against innocent people is actually a pretty persuasive political tactic, persuasive enough to throw a national election.

They said that the only moral position that Spain is willing to take in the world is peace. Peace at all costs. Peace even if innocent people elsewhere, anywhere but in Spain, have to die or be subjugated or be denied basic human rights. This is the peace one might find in a prison cell or the sort of peace Spain enjoyed under the Franco regime.

The New York Times runs a picture on its front page this morning that looks like a crowd of Spaniards holding up their hands in mass surrender. (here's another) This image is complemented by an insightful quote:

A 26-year-old window frame maker, who identified himself only as David, said he had changed his vote from Popular Party to Socialist because of the bombings and the war in Iraq. "Maybe the Socialists will get our troops out of Iraq, and Al Qaeda will forget about Spain, so we will be less frightened," he said. "A bit of us died in the train."

The bit that died seems to have been their courage.

Perhaps it's not surprising to see people acting this way after being conditioned by political hacks and provincial media to despise George Bush rather than think through the policies he's advocated. The core policy is this: terrorism, particularly unreasoning religious-based terrorism, is unacceptable in a globalized society and should be countered not tolerated.

This sort of clarity does not sit well with people used to moral relativism. And it's easy to stoke this discomfort and translate it into political advantage as Gerhard Schroeder had done, Joerg Haider is doing, and Jose Zapatero just did.

In this campaign Zapatero pledged to mend fences with France and Germany and "return Spain to its rightful place with in Europe." That may be a popular position but it is a strategic disaster for Spain.

President Aznar's great policy innovation was to turn Spain toward the West, toward the United States and Latin America, rather than take its traditional place, frankly, as a second tier European country.

Aznar saw Spain as a bridge between stagnating Europe and the vibrant nations in the Americas. He recognized that the United States is one of the world's great Spanish speaking nations and he saw an opportunity to forge a "special relationship" with the U.S. He saw an opportunity to raise Spain's profile and prestige by taking a lead against Islamic terrorism. Aznar would have done this had Gore or Kerry been president of the U.S.

Now, because the voters in Spain were unwilling to admit that the swaggering, arrogant, cowboy, oilman, Texan, cowboy, Texan Bush might have been right about the existential threat posed by religious fanatics equipped with weapons powerful enough to actualize their apocalyptic agenda, Aznar's vision of a New Spain are dashed. And worse still, the terrorists have demonstrated that violence gets results.

Thanks to the peace-minded voters of Spain, there will be no peace in Europe.

BushHate® vs Reality

Jimmy Breslin, Newsday's tough talking, hard boiled, voice of the little guy bloviates about how "working people" were forced to build an asphalt walkway for George Bush at the 9/11 memorial dedication on Long Island last week because, Jimmy suggests,Bush doesn't like to touch dirt.

Unfortunately, Breslin's own paper offers rather convincing evidence on its website that Breslin is not only hallucinating but probably wasn't even at the event and most likely doesn't read Newsday.

Outraged Over Bush and 9/11? Don't Be Shy.

There's a really funny Bush ad storyboard making the rounds of the more fevered sections of the blogosphere. You can find it here at The Poor Man

The great thing about it that even though it is meant as a searing indictment of George Bush's handling of September 11 and its aftermath, it's still fundamentally pro-Bush!

It's futile to oppose Bush on anything having to do with 9/11. Bush owns September 11 just the way FDR owns December 7.

Sure, there are still some people who think FDR knew about Pearl Harbor before it happened. They may even think his decison to declare war on Germany -- who had nothing to do with the Pearl Harbor attacks -- was unlawful and misguided and a LIE!!!

But they probably outnumber the people who can remember FDR's opponent in 1944.

Obviously citing 9/11 even tagentially drives the pro-Saddam wing of the Democratic Party into apoplectic fits. More of the same I say!

Imagine all the crazies pouring onto Sixth Avenue this summer with paper mache heads and Bush=Hitler signs while W shakes hands with firefighters and 9/11 families at Ground Zero. The distinction makes itself!

Every time 9/11 is invoked duringthe campaign people are going to think back to that day. They'll remember that Bush was unexpectedly taking control of the situation. Rose to the occasion. Made me reassess tha man.

And John Kerry? Well, Kerry must have been running for his life somewhere on Capitol Hill. In any case, Kerry was at best just another scared face in the crowd back then. Hmmm, Bush is tested. Do I really want to risk it with Kerry? The world does seem pretty dangerous.

Bring it on! This is getting funner.

Gitmo Horror Show
The International Herald Tribune reports that some of the young Afghans recently released from the U.S. concentration camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba have returned home with gruesome stories of maltreatment.

One boy was made to endure endless indoctrination until he could read and and write fluently not only in his native language but in English as well.

At times he was forced to eat lunch on the beach and swim underwater with a mask and snorkel.

They are deeply scarred by their experiences but their neighbors have welcomed them home at last.

"The boys have returned home as minor celebrities because of their education and their ability to speak English. 'He can work as a secretary to President Karzai,' said one of Naquibullah's uncles proudly.

Nonetheless they are stigmatized.

"But there is also suspicion of their pro-American attitude, and the boys are careful not to speak too highly of the Americans in front of fellow villagers."

Don't worry, boys. They same silly rules apply in Greenwich Village.

Horrible Tragedy in Madrid

Islamofascists murder nearly 200 innocent people in Spain which happens to be a charter member of the "fraudulent coalition" of the willing in the "war" against "terror."

It's interesting to see if this news changes anything. I mean, earlier today when it looked like the Basques were responsible EU ministers in Brussels protested against ETA.

I wonder if they'll protest against al Qaeda tomorrow?

It's a truly sad day for a dependable ally.

Late Afternoon on Mars

The Mars rover Spirit finally reached the rim of the Bonneville crater and sent back a nice picture.

Looks only slightly exotic. The lighting and texture give you good sense of of the place. The gentle mountains in the back would certainly not look out of place in Nevada.

But then of course this is Mars and no one in human history has ever looked over the rim of this crater to see what was inside. Until this afternoon.

Democrat Betrays Country?

This just doesn't make sense.

A Democratic staffer on Capitol Hill accepting money from the Iraqi Gestapo and undermining the efforts of the Bush Administration to bring freedom and dignity to the people suffering under brutal tyranny in a sweltering Arab police state? How can that be?

She worked for Senator/Ambassador Carol Measly-Brain (D-New Zealand)? She lived in lovely Takoma Park? She was formerly an unbiased non-partisan news media professional? She's been known to preface her strident views with such naively idealistic statements as:

"I remain deeply persuaded that justice must never be confused with convenience or political scapegoating, and that the issues of this case, including the prosecution of terrorist activities and the imposition of sanctions that seek to isolate an entire Arabic population, are too important in this contemporary age for a lie to stand unchallenged."

How could a Democratic peace activist who presumably "supports our troops" also be a traitor for cash while our nation is at war with fascists?

I'm trying hard here but I just can't seem to connect the dots.

Kerry Implosion Watch

John Kerry today deplored negative partisan attacks on him by "crooked, lying" Republicans according to the Associated Press.

A Kerry campaign flack conveniently provided the talking points for this particular spontaneous show of outrage.

"He's a Democrat who fights back . . . The Republicans have launched the most personal, crooked, deceitful attacks over the last four years."

Appearently Kerry is still courting the Insane Dean Posse vote with the mistaken belief that anger is the same thing as sincerity. Angry Dean is entertaining. Angry Kerry is condescending.

It's also interesting that the phrase "A Democrat Who Fights Back" is deployed as often as it is considering that it implicitly draws unwanted attention to the Democrats' reputation as indecisive surrender monkeys.

And those "deceitful personal attacks launched over the past fours years," weren't those against our enemies overseas like Osama and Saddam? I don't recall any personal attacks against the thin-skinned senator from Massachusetts. If fact, I doubt most Americans had ever even heard of John Kerry before about a month ago.

I suspect candidate Kerry is about to peak a wee bit too early in his campaign.

Consider this. President Bush has endured three months of unrelenting negative press coverage (the National Guard AWOL thing, the David Kay WMD thing, a lousy State of the Union speech, a hopeless Meet the Press appearence, jobless recovery, and of course quagmire, quagmire, quagmire) and at the same time Kerry has enjoyed a couple of months of unstintingly positive coverage (every week another victory speech).

And after all that Bush and Kerry are running pretty much even in the polls.

There are eight months until the election and Kerry is already pulling out all the stops to keep the media focused on him.

The President makes news effortlessly . . . a politician running for election has to work hard to make news and then its pretty likely to be the sort of media attention you might not want. The coverage is already hinting at the seeds of Kerry's destruction -- the verbosity, the predictable invocation of Vietnam, the inability to give a straight answer, the whole "fighter" meme.

You can feel the whole thing about to tip over into mockery at any second. Like Dean all you need is one moment that captures the absurdity of a political campaign. And once people start laughing at you . . . you're sunk.

Of course, people have been laughing at Bush for a while . . . a very long while. He's immune to it by now. Kerry's not.

I feel confident enough now to predict that the Democratic convention will be a MelGibsonian spectacle of anguished buyer's remorse.

Couldn't happen to a better guy. Of course, John Kerry will always be popular in France like some other famous Americans.

New Zionist Weapon Unable to Kill People

Al Jazeera reports that the United States has deployed an insidious new weapon in Iraq.

Aljazeera.Net - US brings new weapon to Iraq

The weapon in question is a Long-Range Acoustic Device which projects an ear piercing 145 decibel scream as far as 300 yards. The purpose of the weapon is to allow soldiers to clear occupied buildings or disperse angry crowds without leveling deadly gunfire at them as is the regional custom.

Al jazeera seems perplexed by this infidel innovation and strives to find a lethal application that would justify it's million dollar price tag. After all, what good is a weapon that doesn't kill people in some barbaric fashion?

Fortunately they dig up some fringie activist to denounce the uniquely Western concept of a humane weapon.

According to some nutjob named William Arkin, who I presume spends his days walking around Lafayette Park wearing a sandwichboard covered in 12 point garmond type, "The US is making a huge mistake by trying to quietly deploy a new pain-inducing weapon without first airing all of the legal, policy and human rights issues associated with it."

I don't know, whatta ya say we first air out the Scream Beam Projector on Mr. Arkin just for kicks?

Frenchmen on Strike!

French bureaucrats face adversity the only way they know how . . . by walking off the job.

More than 2,000 government employed "researchers" resigned en mass today in protest against budget cut backs according to this robotically translated Reuters story .

French paper pushers (and students, of course) will take to the barricades, but only temporarily. Although they have "resigned" they plan to go back to their offices and collect their salary but they are firm about not accepting any additional "work" until the government restores their funding.

It seems to me that anyone truly interested in scientific research would have moved to the United States or Britain by now where they can work 100 hour weeks with the best minds of their generation.

Those currently clogging up the cafes of Paris with their faux outrage and stylish banners might discuss among themselves the meaning of two lovely French words: entrepreneur and Mediocre.

Puff purposefully on your Gauloises Legeres Blondes while the rest of us actually push the boundaries of science.

Kerry Nuance Alert

Senator John Kerry offered a subtle and thoughtful clarification of his position on Palestinian fascist leader Yasser Arafat today.

According to the AP, Kerry no longer considers Arafat to be "a statesman" as he described him in 1997 but more like "an outlaw."

This should not in any way be construed as a "contradiction" but more like a "refinement" of the Senator's deeply deliberative thought processes and his strongly, if not enduringly, held opinions.

Coincidentally, this refined "opinion" is held by the majority of likely voters.

Iraq is Free. Germans Troubled.

The signing in Baghdad yesterday of the most liberal constitution in the Arab Middle East is cause for concern in Germany according to this news round-up from the ominously named Deutsche Welle.

Yes, the new Iraqi constitution is a landmark achievement and could possibly be the dawn of a revolution of freedom and democracy in the otherwise dark reaches of oppressive medieval theocracy, but that's no reason to celebrate say the German media in unison.

Certainly the unlawful military means of achieving this triumph of human dignity in no way justify the noble end of rescuing tens of millions of innocent Iraqi men, women and children from a barbarically cruel fascist dictatorship, reversing the smothering tide of oppression that has choked off economic and social development in the Arab world and elevating the rights of free people in the region for the first time in living memory.

To say otherwise might be to suggest that the simplistic cowboy Bush was in some way responsible for the seedling of freedom that has begun to take root in the arid wastelands of Saddam's Kingdom of Pain. (A kingdom, by the way, that was always reliably accommodating to German engineering firms.)

No, there is a right way and a wrong way to overthrow fascist tyranny.

Military force never solves anything according to the presumably de-Nazified German press.

Let the Iraqi people rise up and throw off the yoke themselves just like the Germans did in 1932 and 1938 and 1941, '42, '43, '44 and finally in 1945.

Kerry's Unintended Juggernaut Watch

Who would our enemies like to see win the presidential election? Now, without trampling on John Kerry's tender feelings or in the slightest way questioning his patriotism, it has come to the attention of the Financial Times that Kim Jong Il seems to be suporting the Kerry campaign.
FT.com Home US

Irrational Bush Hate Alert

This article initially confused me until I noticed (way at the bottom) that it was reported by a member of the Three Stooges Yahoo! News - Sept. 11 Families Disgusted by Bush Campaign Ads

"Peace" Means "War" in European

A new poll shows that many Europeans think the overthrow of Saddam Hussein has actually increased the likelihood of future terrorist attacks. Yahoo! News - AP: Europeans Say Iraq War Raised Threat

This comes after the capture and humiliation of Saddam himself, after the Iraqis have reached consensus on a remarkably liberal constitution, and after the number of deaths of coalition troops in Iraq has plummeted.

What could they possibly be thinking? That a sadistic dictator sitting on billions of euros worth of oil who proudly subsidized suicide bombers and who was skilled at playing on the fears and avarice of European members of the diplomatic community was a force for peace?

Surely something emotional lies at the heart of such irrational beliefs. An analysis of the survey in the news report above sheds some light:

"General negative feelings about the Iraq war contribute to fears of either defeated Iraqis or terrorists who use the Iraq war as a pretext to commit attacks."

Hmmm. So Europeans are afraid that beating the terrorists and Islamofascists will only make them madder. Interesting take on the situation. Why not just give them the Sudetenland? And do I hear a little rationalization going on? Perhaps those who originally opposed the war are now looking for anything to validate their de facto support of fascism?

"The polls found that people living in all the countries except the United States have an unfavorable view of the role that President Bush plays in world affairs. Only in the United States did a majority, 57 percent, have a positive view of the role played by the U.S. president.

Oh, now I get it. The Euros don't really have any coherent opinion about the most pressing issue of our time . . . but they do hate Bush. What with his Bush oil and his Bush cowboy hat and his all around Bushyness. Yup, he's one thing the Euros can agree on no matter if you're on the Left, or the Far Left or the Extreme Left where it blends right into the Extreme Right.

And that's where Europe will take a bold stand. Don't remind us about the seething masses of religious fanatics who don't distinguish between Belgian infidels and Texan infidels, who harbor the most racist and misogynist social agenda since the Euro's own homegrown National Socialists, who are thrilled at the prospect of frightened Westerners giving in to their demands before they kill them anyway.

No . . . we don't hate hate, we hate Bush!

One priceless quote:

"Bush has a lot of work to do if he wants to be popular in France," said Edouard LeCerf, director of opinion research for Ipsos France.

I suspect W has better things to do with his time.

Nope. No Terrorists Here.

Al Jazeera reports that Polish troops captured seven al-Qaida terrorists in Karbala just before the coordinated bomb blasts that murdered hundreds of Shia Muslims. Aljazeera.Net - Al-Qaida members held on eve of Karbala

That seems to fly in the face of the denials issued by al-Qaida floowing the blasts in which they basically said Shi'ites are infidels but we're not killing them at this time.

Andrew Sullivan speculates that throwing support behind the Shia would help stregthen the hand of the only countervailing force to the medieval Wahhabbis.