Archive for February 2007
Our Ally in Iraq
We have given the Iraqi Army the best weapons, the best training, the only air support in Iraq – so why can’t they defeat the terrorists? The answer we are told is they need more time to train. But that seems to defy common sense. They’ve had as much time for training as the terrorists…
Read MoreDwight Eisenhower on Iraq
A marine officer on patrol in Baghdad sees five Iraqi soldiers clustered beneath a streetlight, an easy target for snipers; certain something is wrong he rushes across the street. He finds the Iraqi ‘s staring at pornography on a cell phone. (News and Observer; 2-10-07). An Army Lieutenant on patrol with Iraqi soldiers captures three…
Read MoreThe Fall of Jim Black
Jim Black crossed the line – and fell off a cliff. Like too many politicians, Black didn’t see that some old political plays are out of bounds today. North Carolina politics has long been built on friends helping friends, as Rob Christensen pointed out in The News & Observer. But the rules have changed. Some…
Read MoreIs An Apology Necessary?
John Edwards says he was wrong on Iraq. Barack Obama says he was right from the start. So should Hillary Clinton apologize for her vote – along with Edwards’ – to authorize the war? Does she have to say now that she made a mistake then? She is resisting. She says the mistake was Bush’s.…
Read MoreA Mile Wide and an Inch Deep
John Edwards enjoyed a surge in popularity after his announcement, even leading Hillary in polls in Iowa. But a new poll raises questions. A month ago Edwards led Hillary by 13 percent in the polls in North Carolina. But, now, the latest Public Policy Poll (News and Observer; 2-9-07) shows Hillary surging, cutting Edwards’ lead…
Read MoreGuilty but Not Guilty
The head of the Optometrist PAC, who gave former speaker Jim Black blank checks, which Black in turn gave Representative Michael Decker (some says as a bribe for Decker’s vote) entered an ‘Alford Plea’ in court last week. The News and Observer described how an ‘Alford Plea’ works in another case, involving a school teacher…
Read MoreA Smile – Or a Frown?
Barack Obama is out to steal the mantle of optimism from John Edwards. In 2004, Edwards ran with a smile. He positioned himself as the positive, uplifting, optimistic candidate. He has even called his political committee the New American Optimists. But the stagecraft and tone of Obama’s announcement hit the very note that served Edwards…
Read MoreGoogled?
State and local government have made a deal to give Google $260 million to put 210 jobs (with average salaries of $48,000) in Caldwell County. Do the math: $260,000,000 in ‘incentives’ is greater than the total salaries Google will pay over the next 24 years. Supporters of these deals say that government subsidizing corporations is…
Read MoreSexism and Bigger Jets
The Air Force jet former Speaker Dennis Hastert used can’t fly all the way to California without stopping to refuel, so Speaker Pelosi wants a bigger plane. The Air Force said no. The Speaker shot back, “I’m not saying that I am being discriminated against because I am a woman. I’m just saying as the…
Read MoreBlogs and Sharp Elbows
Like children, presidential candidates can get into trouble on the Internet. Ask John Edwards. His campaign spent several days dealing with a contretemps over two campaign bloggers who – on their personal blogs – had said unkind things about the Catholic Church. The story made it to the front page of The New York Times…
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