Soccer Dad

Submitted 07/25/2007

In discussing What next in Iraq, the Glittering Eye argues that the current troop levels are insufficient to support the necessary operations in Iraq. Though (initially) opposed to the war he at least wants the war to be waged effectively and fears the consequences of an American retreat.

In False Posturing in Congress, Bookworm Room scores the Senate pajama party. Her arguments counter my Senator's (Ben Cardin) arguments quite well.

President Bush insists on continuing this “surge” policy. But the so-called “surge” is not working. Some of the most brutal acts of sectarian violence have occurred during the “surge.” For example, in March of this year, a truck bomb in a Shi’a neighborhood killed 150 people. The Shi’a-controlled police units responded by systematically kidnapping and murdering 70 Sunnis. This was not an isolated episode.

Cardin from what he said in the campaign doesn't believe that an American withdrawal would make matters worse. Obviously then, everything he sees, simply confirms his pre-conceived notions.

Done with Mirrors continues his campaign to make the world safe from snark, in Snark vs. Smart 2. The object of his derision is someone who decides to criticize Michael Totten. But Totten as Done with Mirrors observes doesn't necessarily try to draw larger conclusions about the subject of his reports, as his critic alleges.

JoshuaPundit again treads on the same territory I do this week with Palestinian Terrorists' Release - Rattlesnake Logic. He correctly scores Reuters and Abbas for making heroes of terrorists. His scathing comment here in response to Reuters was especially appropriate:

Mohannad had served 18 years of his 20-year-sentence in an Israeli prison for planting bombs in Israel. He said none had caused fatalities.

No fatalities? Does that he mean he just maimed people? Or does it mean that he would have been perfectly happy to kill innocent people, but was too inept?

Colossus of Rhodey.Hube turns his critical eye on the home front in Boy was Thomas Right. He observes that the idea that diversity is, by itself, a worthwhile goal in education and other experiments in social engineering have shortcomings or

Hope is great; reality and actual results can be sobering things, however.

The Education Wonks wish to educate Virginia's Clown Princes on basic fairness. It's fine to fine speeders excessively but don't make exceptions for out-of-staters. (I don't believe that the excessive fines come into play until there have been several tickets. Also, Gov. Kaine won't be returning to Richmond as governor, regardless, the Commonwealth's chief executives are term limited to a single term.)

Okie on the Lam takes a similar look at Congressional Democrats (to Bookworm Room) in Max Boot to Kissinger: Iraq isn't Viet Nam Henry and gets it right with

You gotta admit, you’ve not heard any support from the Democrat leadership for letting the Petraeus Surge Plan have even a little time to show that it can work. It’s more like they are afraid that it actually will work, and then they’d be up that famous sticky-brown creek with no paddles in sight.

Rhymes with Right writes about The Limits of Student Speech and School Authority. He makes the case (correctly) that speech a student engages in on her own time and resources should not subject to the purview of the school district.

In Russia vs. the U.S.: No Contest Cheat Seeking Missiles isn't discussing the relative sizes of each nuclear arsenal. Nope he's talking about entrepreneurial possibility. Great Story.

On the 38th anniversary of the first man walking on the moon, RightWingNuthouse wonders in Little noted but long remembered if anyone still cares. He lists reasons why (and laments that) no one, on either side of the (partisan) aisle, has much interest in pursuing further space exploration. See NASA's recent picture of the day.

Finally Big Lizards wonder about Dubai Ports Weird and seems skeptical of claims of secret reasons President Bush may have had for encouraging the Dubai Ports World deal last year.

My own contribution, like last week's, treads on similar ground to Joshua Pundit. In Prisoners to Prisoner Releases in which I wonder about why Israel is so quick to release prisoners without considering the damage it does to its arguments about fear of terror.

Read. Enjoy. Be informed.

watcher's council.

Posted by SoccerDad at July 25, 2007 6:16 AM