Archive for October 16th, 2007


Bush won’t block Armenian genocide resolution

This even though he opposes the resolution. Interesting. (Since it’s a resolution, there’s nothing to veto, but apparently he’s chosen not to pressure House Republicans to oppose it.)

Update: Here’s why. The Democrats, including Pelosi, are doing it for him.

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The bizarre hybrid that is China

Treehugger wonders what happens “when China’s green goals clash against red ones” as encouraging environmental activism would seem contrary to the jailing of those who do just that (not that China is the only country to do something like that.)

Meanwhile, in an almost comical development, Citic, a Chinese state-owned investment company, is considering buying a stake in major Wall Street investment bank Bears Stearns. Everyone seems to be dancing around the obvious fact that this would mean a major piece of a capitalist titan would then be owned by a communist government.

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Denial

Sen. Larry Craig told his wife of his arrest just minutes before the story went public and then appeared stunned that Romney “threw him under his campaign bus” - like the opportunistic Romney would have done anything else.

But how could he not tell his wife until events forced him to? Denial, probably. Sad.

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SWP purges dissidents

The Socialist Workers Party (UK) has purged three high visibility members in a fight ostensibly about whether they should be allowed to hold posts within Respect, the left wing party co-founded by member of parliament George Galloway.

But the fight seems more about the Central Committee of SWP wanting to maintain control than anything else. From the outside, it looks like one of “let’s shoot ourselves in the foot” tragicomedies the Left sometimes inflicts upon itself. From the inside, it may well look different. But bruised feelings, ruptured friendships, and smashed alliances will certainly follow, and the damage will take years to heal, if it does at all.

All a friend can say is, ain’t it a shame. (And yeah, I have been there…)

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Iran War Watch. 10/16/07

Hillary appears to have no problem with a war on Iran, while the rest of her Democratic colleagues continue their usual evasion, pretending to be against it while doing nothing to stop it from happening.

The political class in the US continues their sleepwalk to the edge of the abyss.

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U.S. depressed, go figure

From The Guardian.

The land of optimism is in the dumps, but refuses to accept how it got there.

They cite three primary reasons for the current malaise in the U.S.. The economy. The war. Loss of faith in the political class.  However, the problems go deeper than that.

For the central problem is not that they were lied to - though that of course is a problem - but that they have constantly found some of these lies more palatable than the truth. Bush may have exploited the more problematic aspects of this optimism. But he did not create them. Enough of the American public had to be prepared to meet him halfway to make his agenda possible.

Now the reality of the deception and self-deception is becoming clear to nearly everyone, what will it take to make the political class act in a way that follows the will of the people?

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