Monthly Archives: January 2003

January 25, 2003 — Scott Johnson

I’ve read all the columns

I’ve read all the columns posted on RealClearPolitics this morning, and there are several good ones (I recommend Peter Brown’s on the proclivity of Democrats to cite “world opinion” to constrain the United States and Ruben Navarette’s on the liberal support for affirmative action). But the best I have found on the Web today is Emperor Misha I’s dialogue commentary “We really weren’t going to do this” on Bill Clinton’s »
January 25, 2003 — Scott Johnson

Rocket Man, I think you

Rocket Man, I think you came up with a lame excuse to post pictures of women in bikinis. (Incidentally, Rocket Man, can you explain to me what the bikini women on the left and on the right are looking at?) As for boosting readership, we have already obtained a fair amount of evidence from Google that “Michelle Malkin nude” would do the trick. Update by Hindrocket: As Doonesbury said many »
January 25, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Earlier today, while traveling to

Earlier today, while traveling to Switzerland, Colin Powell made some comments to reporters that, as reported by Haaretz, sound consistent with den Beste’s analysis of the Iraq situation. Powell said that “at least a dozen” countries would support an attack on Iraq without further U.N. action, but that a decision on whether to pursue military action will not be made before President Bush and Prime Minister Blair meet on January »
January 25, 2003 — John Hinderaker

The Daily Telegraph has more

The Daily Telegraph has more on the al Qaeda arrests in Spain. »
January 25, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Steven den Beste has an

Steven den Beste has an optimistic view of the current slow-walk on Iraq: “Blix and El Baradei will make their report next week and it will say, more or less, that Iraqi cooperation could be better but it’s been good and there’s no cause for war and instead they just need more time for the inspections to work. “All of which will confirm what was evident from the very beginning: »
January 24, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Tomorrow’s Washington Post appears to

Tomorrow’s Washington Post appears to confirm that “the Bush administration will acquiesce to continued U.N. inspections [in Iraq], at least for the next several weeks.” According to the Post, the Administration’s willingness is based in part on the fact that it will, in any event, take several more weeks to prepare for military action. The Administration’s stance is being presented as consistent with past policy; a source is quoted as »
January 24, 2003 — John Hinderaker

It appears circulation may be

It appears circulation may be down at the venerable National Geographic. I suspect this could be related to the magazine’s unrelenting political correctness over the last two decades. Amazingly enough, given that history, National Geographic is now resorting to that well-known circulation booster, a swimsuit issue. You think I’m kidding? Here’s the cover: And here is a nice photo of three pro surfers in Hawaii from the National Geographic Swimsuit »
January 24, 2003 — John Hinderaker

It appears that great progress

It appears that great progress is being made in rolling up al Qaeda networks in Europe. Sixteen al Qaeda suspects were arrested today in Spain. Their apprehension apparently is connected to the recent arrests in England in connection with the ricin plot, as well as to recent arrests in France and Italy. Given the obvious international threat posed by this network, it is hard to understand why any European government »
January 24, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Yeah, Deacon, several readers have

Yeah, Deacon, several readers have already written in to say I’m losing faith too quickly. Thanks to Scott Lewis (who, like Deacon, referred to the Krauthammer piece), Dafydd ab Hugh (who said, “how can you take seriously a miraculously convenient tale of imminent collapse from an anonymous source ‘reported’ by the Associated Press?”), and Frank Martin (who said, “Just keep in mind that two weeks ago every one was ready »
January 24, 2003 — Paul Mirengoff

Let’s not get too alarmed

Let’s not get too alarmed yet by that AP story quoting a “senior U.S. official” about the “weighing of options” that supposedly is occurring. There is no reason to suppose that the logic of the situation, as set forth in this piece by Charles Krauthammer, is lost on President Bush. »
January 24, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Breaking news from the Associated

Breaking news from the Associated Press: “The head of the U.N. nuclear agency will tell the Security Council next week that his inspectors need more time in Iraq, but that Saddam Hussein gets ‘quite satisfactory’ grades for his cooperation, an agency spokesman said Friday. ‘Their report card will be a B,” International Atomic Energy Agency spokesman Mark Gwozdecky told The Associated Press.” Meanwhile, “a senior U.S. official said the Bush »
January 24, 2003 — Paul Mirengoff

Hey, Rocket Man, thanks for

Hey, Rocket Man, thanks for posting the Ann Coulter piece. I don’t know why I stay up late at night grinding out over-heated analysis when Ann can lay it all out so coolly and so well. »
January 24, 2003 — John Hinderaker

For a humorous counterpoint to

For a humorous counterpoint to Deacon’s scholarly observations on the University of Michigan cases, check out Ann Coulter’s latest column. Ann says: “Like everyone else in the universe, I too have strong opinions about how universities should run their admissions systems. But there is no Ann’s Opinion Clause in the Constitution. There is, however, an Equal Protection Clause. *** “If colleges wanted to admit only legacies, or only tuba players, »
January 24, 2003 — Scott Johnson

The estimable Stephen Schwartz is

The estimable Stephen Schwartz is also on ANSWER’s case: “Who pays for these demonstrations?” On a related note, Victor Davis Hanson’s latest NRO column takes the measure of the demonstrators: “Evil over good.” »
January 24, 2003 — Scott Johnson

Secretary Rumsfeld’s “apology” for his

Secretary Rumsfeld’s “apology” for his “Axis of Weasels” remark regarding France and Germany is rapidly being recognized as a classic. If you haven’t seen it, be sure to take a look: “Rumsfeld sorry for ‘Axis of Weasels’ remark.” (Courtesy of Pat Everheart.) »
January 24, 2003 — Scott Johnson

My guess is that Paul

My guess is that Paul Wolfowitz’s speech earlier this week to the Council for Foreign Relations provides a fair preview of what President Bush is going to have to say in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday evening. It is in any event worth reading on its own terms. The speech is “Iraq Disarmament.” »
January 24, 2003 — Scott Johnson

The good columns posted on

The good columns posted on RealClearPolitics this morning indicate that Secretary Powell is angry to have persuaded President Bush to bring the case for war against Iraq to the UN, only to be upbraided at the last minute by the French and Germans. The president will not back down now; instead, he will marshall a “coalition of the willing” to take on Iraq, and he will make his case for »