Monthly Archives: March 2003

March 26, 2003 — Scott Johnson

Live from New Haven

Don’t go to sleep yet, Rocket Man. Little Trunk has e-mailed two television news stories covering the pro-war rally sponsored by Yale College Students for Democracy this morning. Here is the NBC affiliate’s “Students organize support the troops rally at Yale” and here is the ABC affiliate’s “Support the troops rally at Yale.” Both video clips feature snippets of Professor David Gelernter’s speech. »
March 26, 2003 — Paul Mirengoff

Sleep well, Rocket Man

You may have to sleep for a while, Rocket Man. According to this Washington Post article by its chief military reporter Thomas Ricks, some senior military officials are now convinced that the war will last for “months.” It seems to me, however, that it is simply too early to predict whether the war will be over in weeks or months. All we know is that the regime didn’t capitulate right »
March 26, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Fog of War

All afternoon and evening the talking heads on television and internet news sources have been talking about the column of Iraqi armored vehicles leaving Baghdad in an apparent effort to attack the 7th Cavalry forces that are approaching the Iraqi capital. Moments ago I heard a report that military authorities are saying they have no knowledge of any such Iraqi troop movement, and no Iraqi forces are known to have »
March 26, 2003 — Scott Johnson

Daniel Patrick Moynihan, RIP

In his first volume of The Age of Reagan, covering the years 1964-1980, author Steven Hayward ingeniously uses Daniel Patrick Moynihan as a kind of Greek chorus to comment on the significant events of the era. Moynihan seemingly had a connection to all of them, and certainly had things of interest to say about all of them. Steve is therefore the ideal elegist of Senator Moynihan’s life on the occasion »
March 26, 2003 — Paul Mirengoff

Conservative triumphalism and public mood swings

George Will thinks that the war is going well, despite public unease about it. Unlike many conservative commentators, Will blames this unease not on liberal reporting about the war, but on the “conservative triumphalism” that preceded the war. Will has always held that the essence of conservatism is a “wariness about uncontrollable contingencies and unintended consequences.” He argues that the failure of conservatives to remind the public of such contingencies »
March 26, 2003 — John Hinderaker

US or EU?

London’s Sun newspaper calls on Prime Minister Blair to choose alliance with the United States over the European Union: “Europe has proved it is slow, plodding, inward-looking, bureaucratic and corrupt. “America has shown it is decisive, dynamic, creative and ready to act for the world »
March 26, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Check Out RCP

Our friends John McIntyre and Tom Bevan of Real Clear Politics have one of the best sites on the web. Along with their collection of the most notable columns of the day, the latest poll data, etc., they have their own blog. Their war commentary has been excellent; we recommend you check it out. »
March 26, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Hall of Shame

Here are a few sickening news items, back to back. Former weapons inspector and would-be child molester Scott Ritter said today in an interview with a French newspaper that the Iraq war “is already lost” and that the U.S. will leave Iraq “with its tail between its legs.” The most popular name for babies being born in hospitals on the West Bank: Saddam. And finally, do you recognize the elderly »
March 26, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Iraqi Troops Go On Attack

A large column of Iraqi tanks is reported to be moving south out of Baghdad to challenge the 7th Cavalry, while another group of Iraqi soldiers has left Basra, apparently seeking to attack British troops. I’m completely unqualified to comment on this, but it seems like an odd strategy. Coming out of the cities exposes Iraqi armored vehicles to air attack, which apparently is still functioning despite the sandstorm. Maybe »
March 26, 2003 — Scott Johnson

The times they are a-changin’

Little Trunk reports that Yale College Students for Democracy held a rally in support of the war at 11:30 this morning. The well attended rally took place at the World War I Memorial on campus and featured star faculty members Donald Kagan, David Gelernter and Norma Thompson as speakers. Among the students who spoke was Ewan McDougall, an undergrad who enlisted in the Marines before 9/11 to the incomprehension of »
March 26, 2003 — Scott Johnson

Missile defense works II

American Enterprise magazine editor Karl Zinsmeister is embedded with the 82nd Airborne Division in Kuwait, but hasn’t filed a dispatch since March 20. Today National Review Online has filed Zinsmeister’s most recent dispatch: “Muffling U.S. missile success.” »
March 26, 2003 — Scott Johnson

MSWA

Not surprisingly, Michelle Malkin has some information to add to the story of Asan Akbar: “MSWA: Muslim soldiers with attitude.” »
March 26, 2003 — Scott Johnson

Eyewitness reports

Information is obviously at a premium this morning. We hunger to know what is happening. USA Today has a harrowing report of the Third Infantry Division’s 7th Cavalry Regiment on the road to Baghdad: “7th Cavalry inflicts heavy casualties in running battle.” Michael Kelly is with the Third Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade and devotes his column to describing their engagements with the enemy: “A ‘much tougher’ fight.” The approprite companion »
March 25, 2003 — Paul Mirengoff

Free speech, not a free pass

Great blog on Krugman, Rocket Man. It’s hard to believe that he was once a well-respected economist. I think not being appointed Clinton’s top economist pushed him to the brink, and the defeat of Al Gore pushed him over it. Perhaps I’m a bit unbalanced too, but I couldn’t help but laugh when I read that he was comparing the smashing of Dixie Chicks CD’s to Kristallnacht. The New York »
March 25, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Krugman Goes Around the Bend

I never read left-wing columnist Paul Krugman, mostly because he is a bore. His obsessive hatred of President Bush has driven out all other topics from his columns. His logic is so twisted and his grasp of the facts so tenuous that it just isn’t worth my time to read him. Now, however, Krugman’s anti-Bush mania and conspiracy-theory bent seem to have pushed him beyond partisanship and into the realm »
March 25, 2003 — John Hinderaker

Kuwaitis Grow Impatient

Kuwaitis fret at pace of war, Reuters reports. This is really the ultimate in impatience: “Glued to their widescreen televisions, what they see makes them fret that the United States, their key ally, is taking far longer than expected to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.” Far longer than expected?! Five days so far. The Kuwaitis’ perspective on America’s avoidance of casualties is interesting: “They know that in Western military culture »
March 25, 2003 — John Hinderaker

The Fictitious Michael Moore

We haven’t said anything about Michael Moore’s Oscar tirade because we had nothing non-obvious to say. Debbie Schlussel in Tech Central Station has a nice short piece on Moore: “everything from his ‘working-class Joe’ persona to his so-called documentary, for which he won the award, is largely fictitious.” »