Maliki: The Iranian Connection?

♠
Hardly a day passes without Mr. Maliki mocking the White House’s professed faith in him. In the past week or so alone, he has presided over a second botched hanging (despite delaying it for more than two weeks to put in place new guidelines), charged Condi Rice with giving a “morale boost to the terrorists” because she criticized him, and overruled American objections to appoint an obscure commander from deep in Shiite territory to run the Baghdad “surge.” His government doesn’t even try to hide its greater allegiance to Iran. Mr. Maliki’s foreign minister has asked for the release of the five Iranians detained in an American raid on an Iranian office in northern Iraq this month and, on Monday, called for setting up more Iranian “consulates” in Iraq.

The president’s pretense that Mr. Maliki and his inept, ill-equipped, militia-infiltrated security forces can advance American interests in this war is Neville Chamberlain-like in its naiveté and disingenuousness. An American military official in Baghdad read the writing on the wall to The Times last week: “We are implementing a strategy to embolden a government that is actually part of the problem. We are being played like a pawn.”

-- Frank Rich for The New York Times

I have been meaning to get something down on the Maliki government and what a (possibly treacherous) vulnerable point he is in American aspirations for the region. I also recall a quote of his that he made in the last couple of weeks in response to the increased pressure from the Bush Administration: "What we need is more weapons, not advice from this Administration." I couldn't help but wonder how many of those weapons would wind up in the hands of the Iranian-backed shiite militias, to be used not only against Sunnis but Amreican troops as well.

But this is Bush's game, as he goes his own way in the face of all the criticism. God, I really hope he has some happy surprises for us, and he is not just buying a couple of years so that he can say that defeat did not fall on his watch.

xXx

Maliki: The Iranian Connection?

♠
Hardly a day passes without Mr. Maliki mocking the White House’s professed faith in him. In the past week or so alone, he has presided over a second botched hanging (despite delaying it for more than two weeks to put in place new guidelines), charged Condi Rice with giving a “morale boost to the terrorists” because she criticized him, and overruled American objections to appoint an obscure commander from deep in Shiite territory to run the Baghdad “surge.” His government doesn’t even try to hide its greater allegiance to Iran. Mr. Maliki’s foreign minister has asked for the release of the five Iranians detained in an American raid on an Iranian office in northern Iraq this month and, on Monday, called for setting up more Iranian “consulates” in Iraq.

The president’s pretense that Mr. Maliki and his inept, ill-equipped, militia-infiltrated security forces can advance American interests in this war is Neville Chamberlain-like in its naiveté and disingenuousness. An American military official in Baghdad read the writing on the wall to The Times last week: “We are implementing a strategy to embolden a government that is actually part of the problem. We are being played like a pawn.”

-- Frank Rich for The New York Times

I have been meaning to get something down on the Maliki government and what a (possibly treacherous) vulnerable point he is in American aspirations for the region. I also recall a quote of his that he made in the last couple of weeks in response to the increased pressure from the Bush Administration: "What we need is more weapons, not advice from this Administration." I couldn't help but wonder how many of those weapons would wind up in the hands of the Iranian-backed shiite militias, to be used not only against Sunnis but Amreican troops as well.

But this is Bush's game, as he goes his own way in the face of all the criticism. God, I really hope he has some happy surprises for us, and he is not just buying a couple of years so that he can say that defeat did not fall on his watch.

xXx

Gray Cat

♠
When Monk is in the kitchen getting his coke for his chocolate cake, making for a delightfully smashing breakfast, he sees the little gray cat looking at him from the patio, practically pressed agains the sliding door.

If Monk were living alone and there was no more Bo, he might have let the cat inside to enjoy a little respite from the wintry weather, and rustle up some tasty nourishment for the feline, in exchange for its cute and charming company, giving the cat an opportunity to charm him into becoming one of its regular neighborhood providers. It might have been nice.

Instead, Monk just shoos it away like an irritating dream that his threatening his slumber.

xXx

Gray Cat

♠
When Monk is in the kitchen getting his coke for his chocolate cake, making for a delightfully smashing breakfast, he sees the little gray cat looking at him from the patio, practically pressed agains the sliding door.

If Monk were living alone and there was no more Bo, he might have let the cat inside to enjoy a little respite from the wintry weather, and rustle up some tasty nourishment for the feline, in exchange for its cute and charming company, giving the cat an opportunity to charm him into becoming one of its regular neighborhood providers. It might have been nice.

Instead, Monk just shoos it away like an irritating dream that his threatening his slumber.

xXx

The Iran Question

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One of the most worrying parts of President Bush’s Iraq strategy doesn’t have anything to do with Iraq. It’s the way he’s ramping up a confrontation with Iran.

Across a broad spectrum of policy levers, Mr. Bush is raising the pressure on Iran, increasing the risk that he will drag the U.S. into a third war in an Islamic country in six years. Instead of disengaging from war, he could end up starting another.

-- Nicholas D. Kristof for The New York Times

Ever since President Bush has pushed for the surge in Iraq, there has been this talk of the greater likelihood of war against Iran. I wonder whether this likelihood may be the key reason why the Administration has been willing to tolerate Maliki's Iranian leanings. If the intention is to take out the Iranian regime, then it arguably does not matter if Maliki is relying on that regime, since that regime will be no more.

Since we first started to prepare to invade Iraq, Monk was thinking positively of the grand strategy of taking down Iran as well as Syria to boot, having a very optimistic idea of what American might can do in that blighted and threatening region.

However, who cannot be humbled by how hapless we seem to be in Iraq, as we depend desperately on Iraqis to take the load. How can war against Iran even seem plausible, seeing that we do not have the troops to maintain control in Iraq?

How is this Administration going to pull the bunny out of the hat? I know this is a faith-based Administration, but one worries if this is simply crazy. It is to beg an awful lot from God.

xXx

The Iran Question

♠
One of the most worrying parts of President Bush’s Iraq strategy doesn’t have anything to do with Iraq. It’s the way he’s ramping up a confrontation with Iran.

Across a broad spectrum of policy levers, Mr. Bush is raising the pressure on Iran, increasing the risk that he will drag the U.S. into a third war in an Islamic country in six years. Instead of disengaging from war, he could end up starting another.

-- Nicholas D. Kristof for The New York Times

Ever since President Bush has pushed for the surge in Iraq, there has been this talk of the greater likelihood of war against Iran. I wonder whether this likelihood may be the key reason why the Administration has been willing to tolerate Maliki's Iranian leanings. If the intention is to take out the Iranian regime, then it arguably does not matter if Maliki is relying on that regime, since that regime will be no more.

Since we first started to prepare to invade Iraq, Monk was thinking positively of the grand strategy of taking down Iran as well as Syria to boot, having a very optimistic idea of what American might can do in that blighted and threatening region.

However, who cannot be humbled by how hapless we seem to be in Iraq, as we depend desperately on Iraqis to take the load. How can war against Iran even seem plausible, seeing that we do not have the troops to maintain control in Iraq?

How is this Administration going to pull the bunny out of the hat? I know this is a faith-based Administration, but one worries if this is simply crazy. It is to beg an awful lot from God.

xXx

Sparing the Rod

♠
I heard about this proposed law in California that would make it criminal to spank children who are three years old and younger. I was not too sure what to think. Some physical control and correction seems needed, and in the end, might makes right; we just want that might to be indeed enlightened and truly right and not just bestial. But the law is limited to only true infants. Neverthemore, I had to laugh when I read this response to all the debate that has been provoked in favor of allowing spanking:

“I have to question why our society holds so tightly to physical discipline among the very young,” said Ms. Lieber, who does not have children.

You see, Ms. Lieber is the one proposing the legislation. It would seem to explain a lot. In any case, so long as we can spank strippers and other assorted sluts, I do not have a real issue with the proposed law, but like Ms. Lieber, I do not have children either, nor am I likely to have any.


(Source: Jennifer Steinhauer for The New York Times)

xXx

Sparing the Rod

♠
I heard about this proposed law in California that would make it criminal to spank children who are three years old and younger. I was not too sure what to think. Some physical control and correction seems needed, and in the end, might makes right; we just want that might to be indeed enlightened and truly right and not just bestial. But the law is limited to only true infants. Neverthemore, I had to laugh when I read this response to all the debate that has been provoked in favor of allowing spanking:

“I have to question why our society holds so tightly to physical discipline among the very young,” said Ms. Lieber, who does not have children.

You see, Ms. Lieber is the one proposing the legislation. It would seem to explain a lot. In any case, so long as we can spank strippers and other assorted sluts, I do not have a real issue with the proposed law, but like Ms. Lieber, I do not have children either, nor am I likely to have any.


(Source: Jennifer Steinhauer for The New York Times)

xXx

Dreams Under the Sun

♠
The day is glorious. The sun came out early, and it looks for real this time, with the temperature idling in the perfect low-seventies. This is the first time in a long while that the sun has been a problem hurting Monk's eyes, reminding him that sunglasses are not just a cool luxury.

On the afternoon rounds, Monk was tempted to take a walk, even though he does not have any bread. He is due for a shower. If he were more his own man, he probably would have taken that walk and just had a very late snack and putting off dinner until even later in the evening. Ah, what thoughts of freedom!

I cannot leave it at that. Let's dream a little better. If Monk were his own man, he would have held off on that walk for another hour or so, and then he would walk to that Chinese restaurant that serves a passable chicken fried rice for dinner, and then take the bus home. You see, the car would have been left behind in favor of exercise. And I guess the current girlfriend, the flavor of the month, is out of town this weekend, leaving Monk to rough it a little.

xXx

Dreams Under the Sun

♠
The day is glorious. The sun came out early, and it looks for real this time, with the temperature idling in the perfect low-seventies. This is the first time in a long while that the sun has been a problem hurting Monk's eyes, reminding him that sunglasses are not just a cool luxury.

On the afternoon rounds, Monk was tempted to take a walk, even though he does not have any bread. He is due for a shower. If he were more his own man, he probably would have taken that walk and just had a very late snack and putting off dinner until even later in the evening. Ah, what thoughts of freedom!

I cannot leave it at that. Let's dream a little better. If Monk were his own man, he would have held off on that walk for another hour or so, and then he would walk to that Chinese restaurant that serves a passable chicken fried rice for dinner, and then take the bus home. You see, the car would have been left behind in favor of exercise. And I guess the current girlfriend, the flavor of the month, is out of town this weekend, leaving Monk to rough it a little.

xXx

Venezuela: The Road to Serfdom

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CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday called the U.S. secretary of state "my little girl" and told Washington to "go to hell" after it questioned his plan to seek special powers to legislate by decree.

... "That is a sacrosanct legal authority of Venezuela. Go to hell, gringos! Go home! Go home!" Chavez said during his weekly Sunday broadcast. "We're free here, and every day we'll be more free."

-- Reuters

Well, Mr. Chavez may become more free everyday, but I do not like the prospects of ordinary Venezuelans. Stalinist Collectivization has just never proved a fruitful policy for the people. This does not exactly brighten the global political situation either, but seeing how matters in the Middle East are falling apart, this is more of a minor headache, for now.

xXx

Venezuela: The Road to Serfdom

♠
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday called the U.S. secretary of state "my little girl" and told Washington to "go to hell" after it questioned his plan to seek special powers to legislate by decree.

... "That is a sacrosanct legal authority of Venezuela. Go to hell, gringos! Go home! Go home!" Chavez said during his weekly Sunday broadcast. "We're free here, and every day we'll be more free."

-- Reuters

Well, Mr. Chavez may become more free everyday, but I do not like the prospects of ordinary Venezuelans. Stalinist Collectivization has just never proved a fruitful policy for the people. This does not exactly brighten the global political situation either, but seeing how matters in the Middle East are falling apart, this is more of a minor headache, for now.

xXx

Come On Everybody

Come On Everybody