Tuesday, 26 August 2003
Plentiful Proliferation:
August 26, 2003
Iran's nuclear weapons program proceeds apace, and the UN drives its head deeper into the sand.
If the conventional wisdom is correct, North Korea already has about 2 nukes. Iran will have a working bomb in about 2- years. At some point in the next ten years, a major city (Haifa, Tel Aviv, New York, London?) will be on the receiving end of one of those bombs.
Unless...
Unless Bush goes back to the UN Security Council and puts both the North Korean and Iranian issues on the table in such a way as to force the most vigorous inspections. This will be that "last, last chance" for the Security Council to be an effective non-proliferation body. We can afford to be a bit more patient with Iran than we were with Iraq; but North Korea has already reached the point of no-return. Nothing short of regime change is going to end Pyongang's bomb production.
But is regime change on the table?
Monday, 25 August 2003
August 25, 2003
August 25, 2003
A renewed interest in Afghanistan, coupled with a new offensive against the remaining Taliban/al Queda elements is a positive sign but there's still the question of Pakistan's cooperation, and it needs to be dragged out into the open.
There's this from the New York Times:
Afghan officials say Taliban fighters have regrouped in Pakistan and are organizing the attacks from there, sending militants across the border in increasing numbers to attack government soldiers and offices. Mr. Khan, the Zabul governor, said one of the captured prisoners admitted to being offered money in Pakistan to go to Afghanistan to fight.
In a sign of the concern caused by a possibly resurgent Taliban, a group of Americans led by Senator John McCain raised the issue last week.
On his way to a meeting in Pakistan with President Pervez Musharraf, Mr. McCain told journalists in Kabul that Pakistan was "not doing as much as it can" to stem the cross-border infiltration.
"We are appreciative of the help that Pakistan has given us in the war on terror and in other ways, but we believe that more measures can be taken," he said, after meeting with the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, in Kabul on Friday.
Add to that the massive bombing in India today (no official word yet on the culprit but Pakistan's terror groups loom large) and you've got the making of an issue.
If there's a Democratic nominee not on the Howard Dean party suicide bandwagon, there's hay to be made hammering Bush on both the Saudi and Pakistani governments and his seeming acquisence to their foot dragging.
// posted by Greg @ 3:12 PM
Ok, this is disturbing.
// posted by Greg @ 3:00 PM
I spoke with a member of the National Guard last night. His observations:
1. We do need more troops in Iraq, and we can spare at least another division's worth.
2. The troops are stretched thin, but the new rotation schedule should ease some of the morale problems.
3. The tuna was excellent. (We were at a wedding).
A renewed interest in Afghanistan, coupled with a new offensive against the remaining Taliban/al Queda elements is a positive sign but there's still the question of Pakistan's cooperation, and it needs to be dragged out into the open.
There's this from the New York Times:
Afghan officials say Taliban fighters have regrouped in Pakistan and are organizing the attacks from there, sending militants across the border in increasing numbers to attack government soldiers and offices. Mr. Khan, the Zabul governor, said one of the captured prisoners admitted to being offered money in Pakistan to go to Afghanistan to fight.
In a sign of the concern caused by a possibly resurgent Taliban, a group of Americans led by Senator John McCain raised the issue last week.
On his way to a meeting in Pakistan with President Pervez Musharraf, Mr. McCain told journalists in Kabul that Pakistan was "not doing as much as it can" to stem the cross-border infiltration.
"We are appreciative of the help that Pakistan has given us in the war on terror and in other ways, but we believe that more measures can be taken," he said, after meeting with the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, in Kabul on Friday.
Add to that the massive bombing in India today (no official word yet on the culprit but Pakistan's terror groups loom large) and you've got the making of an issue.
If there's a Democratic nominee not on the Howard Dean party suicide bandwagon, there's hay to be made hammering Bush on both the Saudi and Pakistani governments and his seeming acquisence to their foot dragging.
// posted by Greg @ 3:12 PM
Ok, this is disturbing.
// posted by Greg @ 3:00 PM
I spoke with a member of the National Guard last night. His observations:
1. We do need more troops in Iraq, and we can spare at least another division's worth.
2. The troops are stretched thin, but the new rotation schedule should ease some of the morale problems.
3. The tuna was excellent. (We were at a wedding).
Sunday, 24 August 2003
August 24, 2003
The 'neocons' are getting nervous about the situation in Iraq, particularly the Bush administration's commitment. And so are a few editorial allies.
It largely boils down to a simple question: are we at War (and not war, or "war") or are we not? If the answer to the first is yes, then priorities must change, both domestically and abroad. We must stop carping about troops being "stretched thin" and recognize that casualties, sacrifice and burden come with the territory. We mustn't complain, as Joe Biden does, that there are "too many" Americans invovled - after all we were the ones attacked on September 11th, not the Indians or Pakistanis or any other country being courted to send more troops into the theatre. If the U.S. is at War, then it's U.S. troops that will largely do the fighting.
But if the answer is no, than all these hardships in Iraq are far, far harder to justify. And the failure opens up Bush for a tidal wave of criticism.
This present state of confusion has been born by a muddled message from the President. Bush wants to split the difference, a war footing abroad with nothing to upset the domestic applecart and the orgy of social spending at home. This is untenable. He was right to declare September 11th an act of War. Now it's time to tell the American people that we are still, deeply, immersed in this War and that the burden falls on us to win it.
UPDATE: The administration responds.
It largely boils down to a simple question: are we at War (and not war, or "war") or are we not? If the answer to the first is yes, then priorities must change, both domestically and abroad. We must stop carping about troops being "stretched thin" and recognize that casualties, sacrifice and burden come with the territory. We mustn't complain, as Joe Biden does, that there are "too many" Americans invovled - after all we were the ones attacked on September 11th, not the Indians or Pakistanis or any other country being courted to send more troops into the theatre. If the U.S. is at War, then it's U.S. troops that will largely do the fighting.
But if the answer is no, than all these hardships in Iraq are far, far harder to justify. And the failure opens up Bush for a tidal wave of criticism.
This present state of confusion has been born by a muddled message from the President. Bush wants to split the difference, a war footing abroad with nothing to upset the domestic applecart and the orgy of social spending at home. This is untenable. He was right to declare September 11th an act of War. Now it's time to tell the American people that we are still, deeply, immersed in this War and that the burden falls on us to win it.
UPDATE: The administration responds.
Saturday, 23 August 2003
August 23, 2003
Once again, Steyn is money.
I can't believe this isn't a bigger story. A heat wave in a modern, industrial country (a European one no less, so-called land of superior - read socialized - medicine) kills 10,000. Read that again. 10,000.
// posted by Greg @ 4:55 PM
If you're interested in consumer electronics, and you should be, check this out.
// posted by Greg @ 9:19 AM
So here is the first post, and predictably, it's a test.
I can't believe this isn't a bigger story. A heat wave in a modern, industrial country (a European one no less, so-called land of superior - read socialized - medicine) kills 10,000. Read that again. 10,000.
// posted by Greg @ 4:55 PM
If you're interested in consumer electronics, and you should be, check this out.
// posted by Greg @ 9:19 AM
So here is the first post, and predictably, it's a test.
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