The Senescent Man

It's time for a response to the Iranian kidnapping of 15 British soldiers, and it's my view that the Revolutionary Guard need a similar lesson experience as Iraq's in the early stages of the war there. 

Maybe I'm crazy, but I think it would bring more stability in Iraq while rooting out the rats in Iran.

Good things are happening.  Spring is about to, well, spring.  Good things all around the country, and even around the world.  But you wouldn't know it.

For example, today, a kidnapped 12 year old was found. 

Good things are developing in war ravaged Iraq as well.  The strategy introduced by General David Petraeus is working.  American and Iraqi troops are clearing areas once dominated by insurgents and Al Qaida, and they're holding their ground.

But the buzzing of the MSM bees are getting louder and zanier.  They don't quit.  Today, the 90+ year old left winger Daniel Schorr is spouting about that the Bush administration is purportedly hiding behind "the threat of terrorism to turn public attention away from its failings."  And supposedly, it is "a ploy it has used in the past."  He points to last week's release of a confession by Khalid Sheik Mohammed, which Schorr claimed "did little to avert attention from the U.S. attorneys inquiry and the war in Iraq."  Is the man nuts?  Too many geriatric vitamins perhaps??

How could the laying off of a half dozen solicitors in a massive government bureaucracy be more important the confession of the 9-11 architect?  What are these people smoking?  Is there really an audience for this kind of schlock?

The media are in a frenzy.  Whether CBS, NBC, CNN, NPR (of course) and ABC.  Fox is more tempered.  They are desperately trying to drive down Bush's already low approval ratings.  They probably got into a fit this week because Bush's approval rating actually went up from 30 to 35%. 

Can't have that.

Last week, the 30 year old ban on owning handguns in DC was overturned in an historic ruling by the US Court of Appeals. This effort was led and self-financed by a " self-made millionaire who thinks the government interferes too much with people's liberties."

"It was his idea, his project, his philosophical mission to mount a legal challenge to the city's "draconian" gun restrictions, which are among the toughest in the nation. The statute offends his libertarian principles "

"By the way, I'm not a member of any of those pro-gun groups," he said. "I don't travel in those circles. My interest is in vindicating the Constitution."

Isn't this the best reason for fighting against overzealous lawmakers?

The DC Government promises to appeal the decision. Read the entire story Here

I cannot help notice that U S Representative Patrick Kennedy always sounds a lot less polished than the press releases on his web site.

Today I heard him remark on one of the local radio talk shows (and I paraphrase) that "By his poor leadership on the condition of Walter Reed Hospital, President Bush is simply not taking care of those that Bush feels are the heroes of the Iraq War."

In other words, Bush feels these valiant, wounded young soldiers are heroes, but Patrick Kennedy doesn't think they're heroes?

I'm sure that's not what he meant, but boy it's not unusual to see this guy get easily tongue tied.  And the comedians make fun of George Bush!  What they could do with Patrick if they just tuned into him.

He can be such a dolt.

Newsweek's Jonathan Alter thinks Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani is the wrong man at the wrong time, referring to him as an "Urban Cowboy" in this week's cover story.

As he begins to make his argument, Alter succinctly (but simplistically) reminds us how the last several presidents were "antidotes" to the weaknesses or failures of their predecessors.

In 1960, young JFK was the antidote to dowdy Ike. In 1976, Jimmy ("I'll never lie to you") Carter campaigned to wipe away the stain left by Richard Nixon. In 1980, sunny Ronald Reagan tapped into disgust with the malaise of the Carter years. In 2000, George W. Bush took on not just Al Gore, but Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.  The reason the 2008 campaign favors Democrats—at least for now—is that Bush has failed so badly that the next president may be the one who resembles him least.

At least that's what Alter thinks.

But to build and extend on his argument, I would say that Giuliani may be exactly the antidote to Bush.

Bush is a poor communicator.  Giuliani is more in Ronald Reagan's School of Great Communications.

Yes, Bush has been relentlessly consistent in his position on the war, and Giuliani is in the same camp (thankfully), but I don't believe the antidote to Bush is anti-war, though that is what the Democrats are banking on - I think the antidote, as it pertains to the war, is "anti-loose-the-war" and "anti-needless-deaths-to-brave-young-Americans."

Now I am not sure about Giuliani myself, as he is a bit slishy on the social issues near and dear to this senescent, old man; however, I note that the most highly conservative CPAC gave him the nod over many others, including McCain (except for Romney) this past week in Washington DC.  That impresses me.

Newsweek's Alter forgets that there once was once a "Cowboy" who stole the hearts of the American people as President, and not that long ago.  Maybe an Urban Cowboy is just what the doctor ordered.

Is it possible that the pressure the US is finally placing on the Pakistani government to more aggressively pursue Bin Laden is actually causing them to cough up something useful in the fight against terrorism?