Author Archives: Paul Mirengoff

December 6, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Washington Post quietly reveals Obama’s incompetence in developing Afghan plan

The Washington Post presents a detailed version of the lengthy process that finally resulted in President Obama’s decision to send more troops to Afghanistan. The early paragraphs track the White House’s self-congratulatory line that Obama’s close attention to detail resulted in the speeding up of troop deployment, thus creating a true “surge.” This is consistent with Obama’s attempt, in his speech at West Point, to excuse the three months it »

December 5, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

The stakes in Afghanistan

Amotz Asa-El, in the Jerusalem Post, delivers a devastating takedown of the Obama administration, both with respect to domestic and foreign policy. According to Asa-El, these policies have two things in common: (1) for Obama, oration is “not a way to announce plans, it [is] the plan itself” and (2) just as Obama won’t ask Americans to sacrifice anything economically, he won’t ask much from the rest of the world, »

December 5, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

When your captors are idiots you can talk them into releasing you without even lying

Thomas Joscelyn reports that former Guantanamo detainee Ibrahim Suleiman al Rubaish has emerged as a leading ideologue and theologian for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula – one of the strongest al Qaeda affiliates in the world. Rubaish was capture on the front lines at Tora Bora. We held him at Gitmo from late 2001 until December 2006. Then, the government transferred him to Saudi Arabia where he was placed »

December 4, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Two related developments at Dartmouth

The trial judge heard oral argument today on Dartmouth College’s motion for summary judgment in the suit of certain Dartmouth alums against the College for breach of the 1891 agreement. The lawsuit seeks to restore to alums their historic right to elect half of the Board of Trustees. According to Joe Asch, who was present at the hearing, the judge did little to indicate which way he will rule. This »

December 4, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

World Cup draw is kind to U.S. and England

The draw for the 2010 World Cup has just been completed. It populated the eight groups of four teams that will compete to make the Round of 16. Two teams from each of the eight groups will make it to that round. The two teams I will be rooting for — the U.S. and England — ended up in the same Group. Moreover, both caught what looks like a big »

December 4, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Something to look forward to in our golden years

Yesterday, the Senate defeated an amendment proposed by John McCain that would have stripped the Democrats’ health care legislation of cuts to Medicare (more than $400 billion of them). Sen. McCain’s amendment was defeated by a vote of 58-42. Ben Nelson and Jim Webb were the only Democrats who voted to prevent the cuts to Medicare. This leaves a large number of Democrats who will have to explain to their »

December 4, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Reasonably good news on the economic front

The November report on jobs is out and it contains reasonably good news. The best news is that the number of jobs dropped by only 11,000 and the job loss number for September and October was revised downward by 260,000. In addition, the weekly number of hours worked and overtime worked jumped, and the temporary-hiring sector expanded for the fourth month in a row. As this analysis at the Corner »

December 3, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Jihad returns to Fort Hood

Andy McCarthy, in a disturbing reports, tells us that, according to his sources, the Defense Department has brought a top official of the Islamic Society of America (ISNA) to Fort Hood to lecture our troops about Islam before they deploy to Afghanistan. The ISNA official, Louay Safi, has also served as research director at the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT). According to McCarthy, ISNA is the Muslim Brotherhood’s umbrella »

December 3, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

What about Ben?

Sen. Ben Nelson has said he will filibuster the Senate health care bill unless stronger anti-abortion language is added. Nelson calls his demand for such langauge “non-negotiable.” He is circulating an amendment that closely mirrors the Stupak amendment which the House approved. It will be very difficult for Harry Reid to round up 60 votes without Ben Nelson. Joe Lieberman does not seem to be prepared to vote “yes” and »

December 3, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

What about Blanche?

Blanche Lincoln continues to be the most “endangered” of all Senate Democrats up for re-election in 2010. The latest Rasmussen poll shows her trailing all of her potential Republican opponents, and she trails the probable frontrunner, Republican state senator Gilbert Baker, by 47 to 41 percent (our friend Tom Cotton decided not to run). According to Politico, this result is consistent with what other polls have found. To make matters »

December 3, 2009 — Paul Mirengoff

Overconfidence — not a bad problem for Republicans to have

Quin Hillyer warns Republicans to “beware of overconfidence”: Yes, Barack Obama’s poll numbers are down. Yes, the Democratic Congress is vastly unpopular, and leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid more unpopular still. Yes, the “generic ballot” test for Congress has Republicans in the lead. Yes, the measures of voter “intensity” greatly favor the right, including the Daily Kos finding that 40 percent of Democrats may not vote in 2010. But »