Soccer Dad

Submitted 01/29/09

This week's Watcher's Council submissions are UP!

Let's Have a Constructive Discussion - The Glittering Eye asks for a serious discussion of how much government spending is necessary to stimulate the economy.

What, Indeed, Did We Win? - Cheat-Seeking Missiles argues that the prison at Guantanamo Bay served a purpose and that the war against Saddam and later against Al Qaeda helped the United States.

Obama's 'Change' In The Middle East - Joshuapundit sees Obama's change in the Middle East and, like me, doesn't see any improvement. In fact he sees it as combining the worst of the Bush administration with the worst of the Carter administration. See related thoughts here.

Tom Hanks' Non-Apology For Anti-Mormon Bigotry - Rhymes With Right takes issue with Tom Hanks's obliviousness to his own limitations.

Offensive "charm" - Bookworm Room doesn't find the President particularly charming - unlike his many fans in the media. It's a point that Charles Krauthammer made a year ago. It's an arrogance that also was reflected in his campaign.

The Shadow Government of the Obama Administration - The Provocateur writes about the redundant officials in the administration. Their appointments seem to cover areas for which there are already official positions. To whom are they accountable? See related thoughts from Karl Rove.

I Won? No Mr. President, Howard Dean Won - The Razor premises his post on something that gets too little attention: the 2006 and 2008 elections ought to be credited to Howard Dean. He understood how to organize a political movement but realized he didn't have the charisma to lead it successfully. So he stepped aside and allowed the perfect candidate to lead his movement. I'm proud to say that I made a similar (if less complete) observation a few months ago.

First Post-Inauguration Interview Goes To Al-Arabiya and Keeping America and Israel Safe - Right Truth looks at President Obama's priorities and sees a common thread: - an inclination not to be judgmental - which, in the wrong circumstances can be disastrous, as it may prevent the President from doing the right thing.

Is this a surprise? The News Journal says "race still an issue" - The Colossus of Rhodey observes that those for whom race is an issue have a vested interest in insisting that there's still a major racial issue in our country.

NJDC Tool Aaron Keyak Helpfully Illustrates How Liberal Activists Sneeringly Cocoon Themselves In Asinine Arguments And Dishonest Smears - Mere Rhetoric shows how the NJDC protests too much when it comes to showing its pro-Israel bonafides.

Ob-eds - I blogged about the extremism that resides at Al-Arabiya. "Not as extreme as Al Jazeera" isn't a great recommendation.

My non-council submission is my friend Elie's poignant reflections on what would have been his son's 22nd birthday: Aaron's Birthday 2009: 22 and not counting

Read. Enjoy. Be informed.

watcher's council.