I guess Zarqawi wants to see if he can infuriate more Muslim radicals than even George "American Satan" Bush has. He's a competitive kind of guy.

I'm torn between wanting his buddies to knock him off for being Weapons-Grade Crazy and wanting him to stay in business to finally infuriate this "Arab Street" I've heard so very much about.

Posted by: Ace at 11:21 AM | Comments (7)
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For whatever purpose.

Posted by: Ace at 10:58 AM | Comments (78)
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217-215. That's one vote, you know.

Every Democrat voted against it. Every one.

Although a lot of fiscal conservatives damn the Republicans (as I've done), it's important to remember that the Republicans may be bad, but the Democrats are worse.

Posted by: Ace at 10:43 AM | Comments (11)
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So says Captains Quarters, and I believe him.

Actually, he didn't say there were no hits in the MSM; just no google hits for the WaPo, NYT, LAT, etc. But I couldn't name all those in a headline.

I take it all back: the MSM is patriotic.

Trouble is, they're patriotic about France. And, of course, the UN.

What happened to that crap about reporting a story no matter how damaging it might be to US prestige or security? I guess there's a different rule when it comes to the UN and France.

Posted by: Ace at 10:12 AM | Comments (15)
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...because they might all have to be returned.

Is Tucker Carlson on fire?

Definitely not. You have my word that Tucker Carlson will never be deemed to be "on fire."

Still, a good piece, even if it just says stuff you already know.

Even Better Bit by Michael Barrone. It gets to the CIA's covert operations against the US government, briefly, at its conclusion.

Thanks to Dr. Reo Symes for suggesting I read that all the way through.

Posted by: Ace at 10:09 AM | Comments (15)
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Lot of comments at Goldstein's, including from Allah and Steven den Beste.

I don't get the animosity towards OSM. The confusion about what it is, what it hopes to be, and how the hell it plans to get there -- I get that. I share that. I'm not sure the OSM guys know for sure either (being writers, I'd imagine if they had a clear idea they would have shared it with us), so a lot of this, I think, is an on-the-fly kind of thing. Like Indiana Jones said in reply to "And then what?": "I don't know, I'm making this up as I go along."

But the actual animosity? I was disappointed when OSM's offer came to me; kinda low. I'd hoped for more. So that's why I'm not going to go exclusively with them; there's just not enough money being offered to justify cutting off other revenue streams.

But there's a difference between disappointment and contempt.

And OSM seems a little thin-skinned about the criticisms, too. Which is something to really guard against, as we've all been giving it to the MSM for doing the same thing for so long. Honestly, a start-up can't come out of the gate feeling it's above criticism. The New York Times can't even get way with that anymore.

My major problem with the bitchiness is that it seems to confirm the MSM's complaints about bloggers -- that we're all childish twits who just like quoting each other and slamming each other for largely personal, ego-driven reasons. An on-line high school. I mean, I'm a childish twits who engages in petty spats to boost my own needy ego, but there's no reason to say that's true of the whole blogosphere.

There's room to criticize and there's room to rebut. But I don't get all the heat about it -- if it works, it works, if it doesn't, it doesn't.

And those who are displeased with the OSM model can always try their own hand at a smaller start-up or at least network of bloggers.

Posted by: Ace at 09:51 AM | Comments (44)
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Remember, he's about as pro-US as one could hope for in a French politican:

France's weeks of riots may have created many victims, but they have also produced a clear victor: Nicolas Sarkozy, the ambitious interior minister who sees himself becoming the next French president.

While the French public has given general backing to president Jacques Chirac's government in cracking down on youths behind the urban violence, it is Sarkozy who has benefited most, according to a new survey out this week.

The Ipsos poll found his popularity has leapt 11 points to 63 percent, his "presidential vote potential" has climbed to 61 percent, and 68 percent supported his hardline approach to the unrest.

That puts him well ahead of prime minister Dominique de Villepin, whose popularity rose a more modest seven points to 50 percent, while Chirac lifted his rating by six points to 39 percent.

Villepin, who is seen as Chirac's designated heir for the 2007 presidential elections, had a "presidential vote potential" of 53 percent while the incumbent head of state -- who, at 72, is looking increasingly unlikely to stand again -- managed just 37 percent.

The numbers reveal where much of Sarkozy's fresh support comes from: 90 percent of voters in the camp of the extreme-right National Front of Jean-Marie Le Pen (the 2002 presidential contender) think he is doing a good job.

Cute how they get that little zinger in, huh? As if the only people interested in someone who wants to stop rioting rabble are Nazis.

Posted by: Ace at 09:00 AM | Comments (6)
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LauraW. already linked to one article about this, but it's worth another go-round, I think.

A post-action report from Iraq describes the effect of the new weapon: "One unit disintegrated a large one-storey masonry type building with one round from 100 meters. They were extremely impressed." Elsewhere it is described by one Marine as "an awesome piece of ordnance."

It proved highly effective in the battle for Fallujah. This from the Marine Corps Gazette, July edition: "SMAW gunners became expert at determining which wall to shoot to cause the roof to collapse and crush the insurgents fortified inside interior rooms."

They're calling it an "NE" weapon, for "Novel Explosive." I do so enjoy these dry euphemisms the Pentagon employs. They used to call a-bombs "Special Weapons" or "Specials."

Pic borrowed without permission from Defense Tech.

Posted by: Ace at 08:43 AM | Comments (8)
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Whatever.

Let's just stop saying "separation of church and state" and call it "separation of Christianity and state," because that's all this clause seems to mean.

In the opinion of our Judicial Overlords, of course.

Posted by: Ace at 08:30 AM | Comments (35)
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The good news is that it would bring Canada slightly closer in alignment to the US.

The bad news is-- it's only Canada. It's not like we're getting Togo-Togo on the team or somethin'.

Carnival of the Canada-Bashing!

Top Ten Ways To Convince A Stranger You're Actually a Canadian.

The American Idol Judges Evaluate Canada's Post-War Foreign Policy and Economic Performance.

Quesions for Canadians, patterned after a condescending Canuck's patronizing questions for America.

Posted by: Ace at 08:11 AM | Comments (6)
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