I haven’t read the thing, itself, but I have now read several accounts of Al Gore’s new book, Assault on Reason, wherein he wags fingers at people who watch TV (unless, of course, they’re watching him pimp his book) and the media (particularly those who don’t stick to reporting only his side, of the “manmade” global warming story) and - by all accounts - he trashes the Bush 43 administration from start to finish, enumerating all of Bush’s “lies” and mistakes."
"WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) led U.S. Senators and members of the U.S. House of Representatives in accepting a petition - the Appeal for Courage -- signed by more than 2,800 U.S. service members urging Congress to support the mission in Iraq and end calls for retreat. A full 60 percent of the petition signers have previously served or are now serving in Iraq ."
"SOMETIMES WHAT WE DON'T KNOW can indeed hurt us. This was the case in 2006, when reporters noticed significant fighting between Iraqi insurgent factions. This confused journalists and government analysts, but the prevailing attitude was that if the insurgents were fighting each other, at least they weren't fighting us.
It turned out that the group that bore the brunt of this violence would later develop into the Anbar Salvation Front, which has proved to be one of our most important local allies in Iraq. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, then the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), was trying to wipe out this fledgling movement. If analysts better understood that situation, timely U.S. intervention could have thwarted Zarqawi and allowed the Anbar Salvation Front to make a difference on the ground sooner.
Similarly, today a critically important debate is raging about whether the United States should set a timeframe for troop withdrawal. While most people seemingly have an opinion on the matter, it's difficult to figure out whether the situation is truly futile without understanding the various factions that we're fighting."
"A Syrian human rights activists was sentenced to 12 years in pri son Thursday for meeting with White House officials two years ago. The move signals that any dissent in the country will not be tolerated.
A Syrian court found Dr. Kamal a-Labwani guilty of 'communicating with a foreign country and inciting it to initiate aggression against Syria,' reports said."
"Fifteen years ago, the U.S. intelligence community judged that the People's Liberation Army of China was more than 20 years behind the West. In January, the PLA brought down a satellite with an ultra-sophisticated 'kinetic kill vehicle' weapon. Today, no one views China's nuclear or missile capabilities as anything other than cutting-edge."
"What a difference an election makes. Today the House of Representatives will debate whether global warming is so serious a threat to American national security that the Director of National Intelligence, normally busy with issues like al Qaeda, Iranian nuclear research, and North Korean missiles, should be ordered to put aside other projects to create a special National Intelligence Estimate on climate change. So far, majority Democrats have pushed the proposal through the House Intelligence Committee — on a party-line vote — and there is a good chance it will become part of the final intelligence authorization bill passed by Congress."
"Just recently, on April 30, the European Union began the latest round of nuclear talks with Iran in Vienna, home of Mohamed ElBaredei's IAEA. The pretext for the talks is a 130-nation gathering to discuss the international Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which addresses the conduct of nuclear states and the handling of the nuclear technology they master. But make no mistake, any and all nuclear talks begin and end with the Iranian nuclear crisis, and this gathering is no different. The talks are scheduled to last two weeks. Today, reports abound of an Iranian acceptance of a compromise during the talks, a compromise lacking in the Iranian nuclear posture since its clandestine nuclear program was publicly exposed in 2003. On the surface, this is a good development and welcomed news. But beyond the surface, nothing has changed. "
Every morning, representatives from a cluster of antiwar groups gather for a conference call with Democratic leadership staff members in the House and the Senate.
Shortly after, in a cramped meeting room here, they convene for a call with organizers across the country. They hash out plans for rallies. They sketch out talking points for “rapid response” news conferences. They discuss polls they have conducted in several dozen crucial Congressional districts and states across the country."
"His writings revealed a severely troubled young man. 'My nostrils dilate while savoring the acrid odor of gunpowder and blood. Crazy with fury I will stain my rifle red while slaughtering any enemy that falls in my hands! With the deaths of my enemies I prepare my being for the sacred fight and join the triumphant proletariat with a bestial howl!'"
"Everyone has the right to renounce past views. But not to make up that past. It is beyond brazen to think that one can get away with inventing not ancient history but what everyone saw and read with their own eyes just a few years ago. And yet sometimes brazenness works."
"From a low of 73 percent in Indonesia to a high of 92 percent in Egypt the Muslims believe that America's goal is 'to weaken and divide the Islamic world.' Fairly assuming that these four countries' populations represent worldwide Muslim views in Islamic countries, in other words, about 80 percent of the 1.4 billion Muslims or about a billion souls see America as hostile or an enemy to Islam."
