Maybe in this universe, Al Gore is president.
From a Texas Monthly interview with George H.W. Bush quoted in today's Wall St. Journal:
"I don't try to be this old, senior former president who's giving a lot of free advice. I don't have all the information to start with, and I don't have the 'need to know' for that highly selected intelligence. And so if I don't know, why the heck should I pop off? I'll leave that to Newt Gingrich."
Andrew Sullivan makes the point that "bring 'em on" "isn't just rhetoric." Now, even moving beyond what "isn't just rhetoric" is supposed to mean (Andy needs an editor and a spellchecker), he does have a point. It does seem that there's a lot of non-Iraqi fighters involved in the ongoing guerilla attacks. But if Sullivan is implying that this was all part of Rummy's grand plan, he's nuts. For one thing, there's surely more where they came from. And I certainly don't think our soldiers went there planning to act as decoys for Arab terrorists.
Must give credit where credit is due. If Bush does send troops -- even a limited force -- into Liberia he will have done a good thing. U.S. Presidents generally don't get much political value out of sending military personnel to Africa. Perhaps Bush will put and end to the Somalia Syndrom. Maybe Colin Powell's star is on the rise these days and gaining some influence on Bush as the neocons' stars fade in The Case of the Missing WMDs.
One reason he may get no political benefit is the jobless rate that continues to rise. Now at 6.4% In New York it's up to 8%. Highest in nine years. As David Leonhardt writes in today's NY Times, comparisons are being made that are not happy ones for him.
Speaking of the dismal science that gets more dismal every day, James Surowiecki has an interesting explanation in this week's New Yorker about why so many industry sectors are suffering from disinflation while others, like your kid's education and the cable TV bill, keep getting more and more costly. Turns out it's the phenomenon of "Baumol's cost disease."
The Times they are a-changin'. Jack Shafer asks an interesting question in Slate: Why have the NYT-bashers suddenly gone all silent on the Times and their treatment of Judith Miller? After all, she's been acting as a dupe-conduit between the Iraqi exiles/Pentagon and the Times, with embarassing effects on the paper. And certainly had a potentially more serious effect on journalism than Jayson Blair. Josh Micah Marshall has a suspicion for why the subdued response.
*****
A three day weekend. Hot, steamy weather in the forecast. The Red Sox coming to The Stadium for four. It really doesn't get any better.
From a Texas Monthly interview with George H.W. Bush quoted in today's Wall St. Journal:
"I don't try to be this old, senior former president who's giving a lot of free advice. I don't have all the information to start with, and I don't have the 'need to know' for that highly selected intelligence. And so if I don't know, why the heck should I pop off? I'll leave that to Newt Gingrich."
Andrew Sullivan makes the point that "bring 'em on" "isn't just rhetoric." Now, even moving beyond what "isn't just rhetoric" is supposed to mean (Andy needs an editor and a spellchecker), he does have a point. It does seem that there's a lot of non-Iraqi fighters involved in the ongoing guerilla attacks. But if Sullivan is implying that this was all part of Rummy's grand plan, he's nuts. For one thing, there's surely more where they came from. And I certainly don't think our soldiers went there planning to act as decoys for Arab terrorists.
Must give credit where credit is due. If Bush does send troops -- even a limited force -- into Liberia he will have done a good thing. U.S. Presidents generally don't get much political value out of sending military personnel to Africa. Perhaps Bush will put and end to the Somalia Syndrom. Maybe Colin Powell's star is on the rise these days and gaining some influence on Bush as the neocons' stars fade in The Case of the Missing WMDs.
One reason he may get no political benefit is the jobless rate that continues to rise. Now at 6.4% In New York it's up to 8%. Highest in nine years. As David Leonhardt writes in today's NY Times, comparisons are being made that are not happy ones for him.
Speaking of the dismal science that gets more dismal every day, James Surowiecki has an interesting explanation in this week's New Yorker about why so many industry sectors are suffering from disinflation while others, like your kid's education and the cable TV bill, keep getting more and more costly. Turns out it's the phenomenon of "Baumol's cost disease."
The Times they are a-changin'. Jack Shafer asks an interesting question in Slate: Why have the NYT-bashers suddenly gone all silent on the Times and their treatment of Judith Miller? After all, she's been acting as a dupe-conduit between the Iraqi exiles/Pentagon and the Times, with embarassing effects on the paper. And certainly had a potentially more serious effect on journalism than Jayson Blair. Josh Micah Marshall has a suspicion for why the subdued response.
*****
A three day weekend. Hot, steamy weather in the forecast. The Red Sox coming to The Stadium for four. It really doesn't get any better.
posted by John at 4:58 PM
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