Monthly Archives: November 2005

November 22, 2005 — Scott Johnson

Disrupting the torture narrative

At the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal site, Heather Mac Donald takes a look at the how the recent revelation of torture in Iraqi-run Baghdad prisons disrupts the “torture narrative” propounded by anti-war critics: “Baghdad’s real torturers.” In her conclusion, Mac Donald disputes Andrew Sullivan’s assertion that the America “led by example” in practicing torture: Actually, we didn’t. Whereas the Baghdad detainees appeared to have been starved and were covered with »
November 22, 2005 — Scott Johnson

In praise of Nicholas Burns

Both John and I noted the New York Sun editorial on Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns yesterday. The Sun editorial described Burns as a “Kerry-ite” and decried his appointment to the third-ranking position in the State Department. We’ve received three messages taking issue with the editorial (and our posts). Robert Keenum wrote to take issue with my post: The “reported” editorial in the Sun is both shallow and ignorant. It »
November 22, 2005 — John Hinderaker

Good Thing We Didn’t Lose

Scott and Paul have been so prolific that you probably haven’t noticed how little I’ve been posting lately. I’m trying a case, far from home, and have had almost no time to keep up with the news. But I had a few spare moments tonight, and ran across this editorial in the New York Sun, via Power Line News. The editorial, titled “John Kerry’s State Department,” begins: A story circulating »
November 21, 2005 — Paul Mirengoff

Chris Matthews in Canada

I’ve had some negative thoughts about Chris Matthews over the years, but I never considered him a fool. After his talk in Canada today, however, I’m starting to wonder. Here’s the comment from Matthews that’s getting all the play: If we stop trying to figure out the other side, we’ve given up. The person on the other side is not evil. They just have a different perspective. The smartest people »
November 21, 2005 — Paul Mirengoff

Speaking of the CIA

Last week, the Washington Times op-ed section ran this piece by former CIA official Michael Scheuer. Scheuer’s piece included the following statement: America’s bipartisan leaders fail to accept that we are at war with militant Islamists terrorists — if you prefer, because of our policies in the Muslim world — not because of what we think or believe. Willful blindness on this score ensures our defeat by the growing number »
November 21, 2005 — Paul Mirengoff

A timely idea

Following up on my post about the CIA’s ability to protect its turf through the power of the leak, Dafydd ab Hugh thinks it’s time for President Bush to fight back. He urges Attorney General Gonzales to commence an investigation into the recent rash of CIA leaks. Taking on the CIA in this fashion may be a high risk move, but it’s one worth making to protect the power of »
November 21, 2005 — Paul Mirengoff

The Vice President responds

Vice President Cheney has delivered an address on Iraq in which he responds to those who claim that President Bush misled them into voting for the war resolution. Here is my favorite part: Some of the most irresponsible comments have come from politicians who actually voted in favor of authorizing the use of force against Saddam Hussein. These are elected officials who had access to the intelligence materials. They are »
November 21, 2005 — Paul Mirengoff

Outside the box, Part Two

Yesterday, in linking to Thomas Joscelyn’s latest debunking of the “no al Qaeda-Saddam Hussein connection,” orthodoxy, I noted that “Saddam was not one to be boxed in without a fight, and since the Clinton administration was not willing to fight, it’s not surprising that Saddam saw al Qaeda as a vehicle through which he could operate outside of his ‘box.'” Joscelyn responded to my post by noting: The most amazing »
November 21, 2005 — Paul Mirengoff

That elusive mainstream

Groucho Marx used to tell the story of how, during a celebrity softball game, Will Rogers hit a double. When Groucho objected that Rogers had failed to find the makeshift second base, Rogers responded, “Groucho, at my age wherever I’m standing is second base.” Liberal Democrats seem to employ the same definition of the judicial mainstream. However, Stuart Taylor does a nice job of showing that Judge Alito, his 1985 »
November 21, 2005 — Paul Mirengoff

The Democratic Divide

It was a light posting weekend for me. Saturday was devoted to a high school debate tournament. It doesn’t get much better than driving home with your daughter who has won first place, and with two new debaters you helped train who have won first and second place novice awards. Sunday was devoted to finishing my Daily Standard piece and to catching up on work. The Standard has now posted »
November 21, 2005 — Paul Mirengoff

Bob Graham, revisionist

As a Senator, Bob Graham was known for the most part as a sensible fellow. So when he entered the Democratic presidential race, I thought he would join Joe Liberman and Richard Gephardt in the adult wing of that fracas, with the hope of being the token southerner on the ticket after Howard Dean or John Kerry won the nomination. It didn’t quite work out that way, either as to »
November 21, 2005 — Scott Johnson

A word from Col. Repya

We’ve written here several times about Minnesota’s Lt. Col. Joe Repya, who volunteered to return to active duty for service in Iraq at age 59. Joe’s previous service includes command of a rifle platoon in Vietnam and flying helicopters in the first Gulf War. Joe is a classic citizen patriot and activist. He first came to public attention in March 2003 when, disturbed by the anti-war campaign mounted by Minnesota »
November 21, 2005 — Scott Johnson

John Kerry’s State Department

Today’s New York Sun editorial is a “reported” editorial in the tradition of the Wall Street Journal’s late, great Robert Bartley: “John Kerry’s State Department.” UPDATE: Robert Keenum writes: The “reported” editorial in the Sun is both shallow and ignorant. It is shallow in that it resorts to guilt by association. Even if Nick Burns would be in a Kerry cabinet, he is a career Foreign Service Officer, not a »
November 21, 2005 — Scott Johnson

How to lose a war

Ralph Peters’s New York Post column addresses the question “How to lose a war.” In the Washington Times, Rowan Scarborough takes the measure of the first cost inflicted by the Democrats’ irresponsibility: “Military fears critics will hurt morale.” UPDATE: NRO has posted Mac Owens’s column on the Murtha madness: “Defeated by defeatism.” »
November 21, 2005 — Scott Johnson

What sort of Frenchmen are they?

Malcolm Smordin has directed our attention to this excellent Haaretz story reporting its interview with French philospher Alain Finkielkraut: “What sort of Frenchmen are they?” UPDATE: The link is fixed. Thanks to the readers who wrote to let me know it wasn’t working. »
November 21, 2005 — Scott Johnson

The purloined letter

The prosecution of our friend Ron Eibensteiner — immediate past chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party, the prosecution initiated while he was serving as chairman — was the handiwork of Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch. Ron was acquitted of the charges by an Olmsted County jury last week in about as long as it takes to elect a foreman. Yet the story of the abuse of power underlying the prosecution »
November 21, 2005 — Scott Johnson

How did Buckhead know?

Buckhead is the Atlanta attorney who originally questioned the authenticity of the documents used to attack President Bush’s Texas Air National Guard service in the September 8, 2004 60 Minutes II broadcast. He preferred anonymity for professional reasons, but a diligent reporter for the Los Angeles Times tracked him down and identified him in the immediate aftermath of Rathergate. A reader forwarded Buckhead’s comments on the documents to us on »