Its not always one step forward.....

"The principal goal of terrorism -- to seize power in Muslim countries through mobilization of populations galvanized by jihad's sheer audacity -- has not been realized," Kepel writes. In fact, bin Laden's followers are losing ground: The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has been toppled; the fence-sitting semi-Islamist regime in Saudi Arabia has taken sides more strongly with the West; Islamists in Sudan and Libya are in retreat; and the plight of the Palestinians has never been more dire. And Baghdad, the traditional seat of the Muslim caliphs, is
under foreign occupation. Not what you would call a successful jihad.

Read the column here. (Hat tip: Pejmanesque)

I have to believe in people and in Islams ability to sift out what is wrong with these fanatics. I believe that they will and are doing so.

Young people flocking to Bush?

What are we in now, the anti-matter world where youngsters support the Republican candidate? The anti-matter world where the NBA is dominated by white players and France is a strong supporter of USA military action?

A Powerline reader sends this in:

UPDATE: Reader Will Franklin links to the Post's site and notes that "It has a neat feature where you can crosstab the polls to age and other factors." I'll take his word for it, since I can't make it work. Will says that young people are "flocking to Bush:"

-Younger voters, 18-30, have lower levels of unfavorable ratings than all other age groups toward Bush (33%, compared to 52% favorable). --They support Bush over Kerry by the widest margin of any age cohort (53-41).
-For people 18-30 (regarding Bush): Approve somewhat+approve strongly= 54. Disapprove somewhat+disapprove strongly=39.
-John Kerry's lowest favorable rating comes from 18-30 year olds (33%).
-Young people are the most satisfied (58-41) with the way things are going of any age group (overall, it is 49-49).
-Young people trust Bush over Kerry by the widest margins of any age group (60-33).
-Same with terrorism (59-35).
-Same with "Strong leader" (65-25).
-Same with "make the country more safe and secure" (60-31).
-Same with "qualified to be commander in chief" (60-37).

Interesting. In some ways, the President whom Bush most resembles is Ronald Reagan. Young people were always Reagan's strongest demographic. In this election, it may be that young people, who tend to be optimistic and confident by nature, are turned off by John Kerry's defeatism. It may be, too, that young people have less solid connections to either party than older voters, and so view Kerry (and Bush too) more objectively.

Best of Luck JFKerry. You are going to defeated by an unpopular President.

From Andrew Sullivan's quote for the day.....

Eloquently said and sensible.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY: "Obviously there will be people who have never been convinced about the original decision. But the fundamentals of the situation in Iraq are absolutely clear. You have a government supported by the United Nations. You have got massive reconstruction. You've got an attempt to bring democracy to the
country and you've got these people trying to stop it. I can understand why people still have a powerful disagreement about the original decision to go to war, but what ever that disagreement, surely now it is absolutely clear we have to stay and see it through. Because the consequences of not doing so is that global terrorism will get a tremendous boost. By contrast, if we succeed and defeat these people and help the Iraqis to get what the Iraqis want, then global terrorism will suffer a defeat... So my point to people is: which side should we be on now? You might have disagreed about the conflict, but there is only one side to be on now, and that's the side of people who are trying to bring democracy and hope to the country, not trying to plunge it into terror and chaos." - Tony Blair, yesterday. The most recent polls show the (increasingly anti-war) Tories with a minuscule lead.

And I add further here....

He goes on: 'If the violence and terror stopped, Iraq would very swiftly - because it's rich in resources, it's people are intelligent - would make
progress. So my point to people is: which side should we be on now? You might have disagreed about the conflict, but there is only one side to be on now, and that's the side of people who are trying to bring democracy and hope to the country, not trying to plunge it into terror and chaos.'

And this is from all places, The Guardian. This is leveling with the people.

Obama has a sensible position on Iran....

Even a Democrat can have straight forward positions on critical issues facing the world today. Maybe Kerry can take some lessons from this soon to be senator.

U.S. Senate candidate Barack Obama suggested Friday that the United States one day might have to launch surgical missile strikes into Iran and Pakistan to keep extremists from getting control of nuclear bombs.

Read it here. There is still hope for the Democrats. We still do need a two party system in the USA.

The anglicasation of arabic..........

A spelling error recently grounded peace activist singer and supporter of terrorist group Hamas. Yusuf has been confused with Youssouf and we all know that all terrorists travel with only real and not fraudulent names. Golly gee, so why be so vigilant? However, I don't think that anyone should allow an individual with the name Cat to be on a plane with normal people either.

The Yusuf Islam incident earlier this week, in which the former Cat Stevens was denied entry into the U.S. when federal officials determined he was on the government's "no-fly" antiterror list, started with a simple spelling error. According to aviation sources with access to the list, there is no Yusuf Islam on the no-fly registry, though there is a "Youssouf Islam." The incorrect name was added to the register this summer, but because Islam's name is spelled "Yusuf" on his British passport, he was allowed to board a plane in London bound for the U.S. The Transportation Safety Administration alleges that Islam has links to terrorist groups, which he has denied; British foreign minister Jack Straw said the TSA action "should never have been taken."

Time has chronicled this important story and everyone can read it all here. And if we feel sorry for this fellow then see what kind of impact this is having on us all now.

A hostage is beheaded and a soldier speaks up.....

Why we must remain determined.....

It truly saddened me to know that at the end of the video that person would be dead. So there I was with the volume down because I don't need to listen to that fucking garbage those pricks are saying. However while watching, I notice that Eugene, the man killed was saying something. So I turned up the volume some and I could have sworn he was praying. Praying to his god for forgiveness. Now at
that point I am saying to myself that this guy is about to be killed and yet he prays. He is clearly upset and through it all he is speaking to his god. This man didn't have to pray but he did. He didn't have to make peace but he did. He knew he was about to be killed. It was at that point that I realized that I have to do something. It bothered me to know that he was forced to die. MURDERED!

Lets win this thing. For all those that have sacrificed so much. It is truly a crusade.

You can read all the posts here. And others here.

Mark O. Hatfield, anti-war critic, supports Goerge Bush!

I know that this record will cause many to wonder why I am such a strong supporter of President Bush and his policy in Iraq. My support is based on the fact that our world changed on Sept. 11, 2001, a day on which we lost more American lives than we did in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

I know from my service in the Senate that Saddam Hussein was an active supporter of terrorism. He used weapons of mass destruction on innocent people and left no doubt that he would do so again. It was crucial to the cause of world peace that he be removed from power.

Having seen atrocious loss in World War II, I understand the devastation of armed conflict. We have paid dearly with American and Iraqi lives for our commitment, but we cannot afford the alternative. Nor can we afford a president who puts a wet finger in the air and turns over his decisions to pollsters.

Wow, this is an interesting piece and can be read here.

Everything counts this time around....

Hairy Kerry [Scroll down]

So much for Sen. John Kerry's hair. Seventy-six percent of respondents to a Grooming Lounge (where political-party heads as well as celebrities such as Bruce Willis and Elliot Gould get coiffed while in Washington) poll say President Bush has better hair than his rival. And don't think hair isn't important in this era of television campaigns, when elections can come down to whoever looks the part. Bushier-browed candidates, for example, have lost the popular vote in the past four presidential elections. And 92 percent of those surveyed think Mr. Kerry has the most pronounced "eyebrows of mass destruction" of the two candidates. "In order to prevent history from
repeating itself, we believe Kerry needs to have his eyebrows groomed," says Mike Gilman, co-founder of Grooming Lounge.

What possibly else can be said about this?

Further infiltration by pop stars is still possible....

A rush for the US border by attention starved pop stars is in the making as media surrounding the denial of entry to former singer Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam intensifies.

"Cat Stevens shouldn't be grabbing all the glory and the royalties," said Terry Jacks, whose hit "Seasons in the Sun" captivated the nation in 1974. "There are others out there you know -- T. Rex, Helen Reddy, Rick Derringer -- many of them are still alive. Each of us deserves a place on the terrorist watch list, and the publicity that comes with it."

Homeland Security czar Tom Ridge said his department is currently considering requests for inclusion on the watch list from the following: Carl Douglas ('Kung Fu Fighting'), Stealers Wheel ('Stuck in the Middle with You'), Van McCoys ('The Hustle'), Gary Wright ('Dream Weaver'), John Sebastian ('Welcome Back') and Nick Gilder ('Hot Child in the City').

Its only going to get worse before it gets better. Its going to be an awful month for the border patrol and homeland security as breaches and further incidents get publicity. I hope that we survive.

Klingons overwhelming supporters of JFKerry

Further bad news emerges for the Bush campaign as the Klingon vote is solidly in the Kerry Camp.

EXCLUSIVE: Straw-poll shocker! Fierce warrior race strongly backs Democrat.

Without the extra-terrestrial vote, Bush is toast.

Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, brings legal action against the US

Article here. I say, bring it on.

"We have now initiated a legal process to try to find out exactly what is going on, and to take all necessary steps to undo the very serious, and wholly unfounded, injustice which I have suffered," the ex-singer said in a statement.

If you are innocent then so be it and we deserve you an apology and maybe some compensation. If you are guilty then you deserve what you got and owe everyone an apology and what kind of compensation will you be required to give?

We, as Americans, do not owe you free access to our country. As far as this American is concerned, you have to earn it. Involvement with Hamas and agreeing with the Fatwah to kill Salman Rushdie is an unfortunate but undeniable problem with your past. Also, During the Gulf War I, you raised further controversy with comments in support of Saddam Hussein, I guess he is another peace brother of yours. Stay in Britain.

I Guess That There Was Little Else to Write That Day....

"Dan Rather's blunder a threat - to the right" Op-ed in the The Arizona Republic warns of the potential for legislation to craft a more balanced media discourse. His basic premise is that the two following situations have shifted the balance of power away from the mainstream media to what can be considered less reliable internet, cable and radio talk show formats. The piece can be read here. The quotes below outline his case.......

1. But day in, day out, the establishment media led the national political dialogue. Two events this election suggest that is no longer the case.The first was the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's criticisms of Kerry's Vietnam record. The establishment media decided to ignore them. The Swift Boat Vets didn't initially have much money for their ads.
2. The second was the rapid discrediting of the CBS National Guard story. Previously, it would have taken a very long time to establish that CBS' documents were likely forgeries, if it ever happened at all.With the new media, it was done in a matter of days, if not hours, and substantially by people who a CBS executive initially dismissed as sitting around their living rooms in their pajamas. The establishment media's days of leading the national political dialogue may be over.

There have already been proposals to revive the Fairness Doctrine, which required broadcasters to balance the views expressed on their stations. In today's environment, that would operate primarily as an affirmative action program for liberal commentators on talk radio. John Kerry has indicated support for its reinstatement.

Who is going to police an effort like this? And even if they institute some kind of mamby-pamby program for radio, that still leaves cable and the uncontrollable serpent of the internet.

He also cites the Supreme Court decisions supporting the deeply flawed McCain-Feingold bill as a toehold for intervention. This is a piece of legislation that proves, once again, that all attempts to control election campaign funding only causes new innovative ways to get the message out.

I argue that the shift of the balance of power has already happened in the minds of consumers of media. The real problem, today, is the outing of the decades old rule of left leaning bias in the mainstream press, using the very tools of the press, fact checking and analysis. Bias, denied by the MSM, is being chronicled by the public in polls.....

Rasmussen's poll network bias here.
Rasmussen's poll print bias here.
And a study on liberal media bias here.

The mainstream media has been accused of a liberal bias but has argued that they are balanced and fair. The study above shows that by some measures it does have a strong liberal bias. The poll numbers indicate that the public knows this to be the case and is not being fooled. The only ones that are being fooled are those that want to be and the caccooned leaders of MSM that still are desperately holding onto their own half-truths.

The bottom line of policing the press, is that it will all boil down to a he said/she said type of argument. And who would be the ultimate arbitrator of what is liberal and what is conservative? Sounds like a recipe for some interesting discussions. And that will probably take decades......

Lizzi enjoying her day....

Lizzi 

Looking comfy....

Glenn-Glenn Getting Comfortable 

The Prince of Darkness.....

Karl Rove
He looks like a college professor

Wishing for Defeat in Iraq....

IMAGINE if, in the presidential election of 1944, the candidate opposing FDR had insisted that we were losing the Second World War and that, if elected, he would begin to withdraw American troops from Europe and the Pacific. We would have called it treason. And we would have been right.

How many people out there are hoping to "prove" that they are right about the war in Iraq, that the US should never have bothered. John Kerry, today, is one of those people and its improbable that he'll make it better, as Ralph Peters writes, only worse.

Even if I detested everything about President Bush, I'd vote for him just to rub it in the faces of the Germans, the French and all of the tyrants rooting for the Iraqi people to slip back into despotism. We Americans choose our own presidents, and we don't take orders from Europeans or from any of Kerry's other Swiss boarding-school pals.

In an election year, our engagement in Iraq is a legitimate topic for sober debate. But Kerry isn't serious. All he does is to declare defeat. He certainly doesn't want to be al Qaeda's candidate, but he's made himself into their man through his irresponsibility.

There is only one direction to take and no other way holds even the littlest bit of credibility and that is to stand should-to-shoulder and finish what has been begun. We can figure out later where, if at all, we went wrong. But to do that now only makes the possibility of finishing the job, more costly and less likely. Or is that some of us want to say that they were right all along.

Lucifer Speaks.....

With only five weeks to go till the election November 2, some bullishness on the prospects for Republican candidates as commented by Karl Rove [note the German spelling of Karl-maybe he is a Nazi?] in the Washington Times:

Mr. Rove said the president is making significant inroads into "blue"
states, or those that voted Democratic in 2000, and solidifying his position in the "red" states, which he carried four years ago. Mr. Rove said gains in the Senate, where Republicans already hold a 51-48 advantage, dramatically would improve the chances for the approval of the president's judicial nominees, many of whom Democrats have blocked.

"We're going to get Republican gains in the Senate," he said over lunch at the Hay Adams Hotel across the street from the White House. "And even a gain of a couple of seats is going to work a sea change on their ability to obstruct these judges."

Read the whole article here. There is a picture of Karl and I don't see the horns, cloved hoofs or a trident tail. Looks like a b-school professor.

Wow, gains in the House and the Senate? The Iowa Electronic Markets are giving 4-3 odds in Republicans holding both and only 4-1 odds that the Democrats regain the Senate. Furthermore, the markets are giving Republicans a 58% chance that secure gains in the number of seats in the Senate while, surprisingly, offering a 67% chance that Republicans pick up House seats in November.

The IEM is also only giving Kerry 3-1 odds [graph format] to win the Presidency and 44% chance that Bush actually gets more than 52% of popular vote.

Cat Stevens, formerly, now known as Yusuf Islam, Peacenik and Hamas Supporter Denied entry Into the US

Yusuf Islam, famous peacenik also know as the folk music star Cat Stevens, was denied entry into the USA. Famous for his anti-war messages, has recently condemned the taking of hostages and the killing of innocents in the recent Beslan tradegy:

Crimes against innocent bystanders taken hostage in any circumstance have no foundation whatsoever in the life of Islam and the model example of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. The concept that Islam allows the taking of one person's life in exchange for another person's sin is absolutely warped, the Qur'an in fact put an end to the concept of sins being passed on from generation to generation, father to son, or from one soul to another. God says, '…And every soul earns not [blame] except against itself, and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return and He will inform you concerning that over which you used to differ.'

However, Islam has also been previously denied entry into Israel due to alledged support of Islamic Militant group Hamas.

Yusuf Islam, 51, changed his name after becoming a Muslim in the late 1970s, and last visited Israel in 1988. The government claims that during that trip, he delivered tens of thousands of dollars to Hamas, a militant Islamic group.

Hours of Hilarious Entertainment

Vodka Pundit, starts with a sober look at the Presidential election contest and degenerates into an opening monologue for Jay Leno. The fit of hilarity describing Kerry's incredible declaration that his vote for authorization of war was not a vote to go to war....

What, exactly, did Kerry think Bush was going to do with his authorization of force, have it framed and mount it on an Oval Office wall? Bullshit. Kerry knew his vote meant war. You knew it meant war. Amazon tribes so primitive they don't even know they're living in Brazil knew it meant war. Single-cell organisms knew it meant war. Yet Kerry expects us to believe he was only voting to give Bush some extra diplomatic muscle?

Read it here....and scroll down to the piece titled: John Kerry: Dumber Than an Amoeba?

Ali, I Wouldn't Be Too Concerned either.....

Ali, at "Iraq the Model" blog is concerned about the recent conservative columnist Robert Novak's piece predicting a US pull-out of Iraq in 2005 in the event of a Bush victory in November. Ali's heartfelt piece can be read here. Ali outlines the stakes:

The task of liberating Iraq and establishing democracy in it is nothing like any limited war America had fought before. It's as serious as WW1 and WW2, and even more serious than the cold war. Anyone who thinks that America can pull out and be settled with toppling Saddam and stopping his WMDs project proves to be shortsighted, the least to say.

Take comfort Ali.....Bush, unlike Clinton has not predicated his foreign and domestic policy agenda on populism but on pragmatic long-term solutions to problems facing American's today, these being the security and prosperity of the US. If Bush is a populist, you would have seen a much different first term and no intervention in Iraq.

But, I do not think that Mr. Novak is off base here. This discussion has to take place and our people have to come to their conclusions that the investment in Iraq is worth it. The center of the American political spectrum has to digest the issues at hand. Novak's musings may be meant as a trial balloon to take the temperature of these people since we are 6 weeks away from a very important election.

Ali, if you want for us to believe in you, you must also believe in us! So take comfort that many of us here are pulling for you and and as Winston Churchill once said:

"The Americans will always do the right thing... After they've exhausted all the alternatives."

Anti-Bush Military personnel in Iraq....

A not so balanced piece by the Christian Science Monitor on anti-Bush military personnel in Iraq can be found here. Much of the article deals with the Michael Moore opiate "Fahrenheit 9/11" being shown to our troops in Iraq and the demographic political leanings of typical soldiers.

Quotes by soldiers are all anti-Bush giving the impression that all soldiers in Iraq have these same opinions. It would be helpful to this reader if there were some opposing viewpoints to balance the piece out.

CSM article written by....Ann Scott Tyson and some more of her work can be found at a blog called Why War?

Maybe It Does Work, Afterall. But Not Overnight.

Hope springs eternal....

Democracy in Iraq may not follow the same path, but Indonesia's example shows that free and fair voting can take place in a country despite poverty, strife, and Islamic radicalism.

As usual, you can find a well balanced story in the Christian Science Monitor, click here.

About Last Night!

As I lay on my bed, thinking about you, I feel this strong urge to grab you and squeeze you, because I can't forget last night. You came to me unexpectedly during the balmy and calm night, and what happened in my bed still leaves a tingling sensation in me. You appeared from nowhere and shamelessly, without any reservations, you laid on my naked body...you sensed my indifference, so you started to bite my body without any guilt or humiliation, and you drove me crazy while you sucked me dry. Finally I went to sleep.

Today when I woke up, you were gone, I searched for you but to no avail, only the sheets bore witness to last nights events. My body still shows your marks, making it harder to forget you. Tonight I will remain awake waiting for you........... you bloody mosquito.

An email from my friend.......

G*****[Glenzo]- I read the article- pretty ambiguous-Have you seen Farenheit 911- just about as reliable as the article you gave me-I don’t think Saddam was ever a threat to anyone except Pappa Busch-There are more Al- Queda in florida than there is in Iraq- The war is unnecessary and a farse – This is why I hate busch-I appreciate hearing your side though- it is very influenced by the media- you really need to see Farenheit 911 to see what the other side is
saying-War is bad for everyone and for the economy-No more busch “men might learn to live without war anymore” I know I am currently in the minority of the
country but there is still hope-

The article refered to in my friends email is the one below, with the writers headline.

There's Hope For Us All

The miracle of modern medicine.

Frederick Forsyth, John Le Carre and Robert Ludlum All Rolled Into One

Now, buried in some of the United Nation's own confidential documents, clues can be seen that underscore the possibility of just such a Saddam-Al Qaida link - clues leading to a locked door in this Swiss lakeside resort.

On Fox News website today here.

Appearances can be deceiving but we may be looking at the smoking gun/connection between al-Qaida and Saddam Hussein as promoted by the Bush administration or maybe the two just used the same teller machine.

The UN, that bungled their duty under a lid of unaudited secrecy, was entitled to a 2.2% commission for expenses associate with this program. On a $100+ billion program, this amounts to over $2 billion. This seems like a lot of money to supervise the process and they must have an awful lot of information to show for it.

An NRO story published April 18th gives further credence to the story but also is prescient in what is highlighted in bold below:

If there is a silver lining to all this, it is that those contract lists and bank records could be a treasure trove of information - an insider tour of what Saddam's regime knew about the dark side of global finance. There are plenty of signs that the secret U.N. lists became, in effect, Saddam's little black book (papered over with a blue U.N. label). Though perhaps "little" is not the correct word. The labyrinth was vast. The wisest move by the U.N., the U.S., or any other authority with full access to these records, would be to make them fully public - thus recruiting help from observers worldwide, not least the media, in digging through the hazardous waste left by Oil-for-Food.

Given the success of the pajama brigade on the Rathergate story, this may be a plan in the making!

The New York Times Reliability Report

Interesting, old survey on the trustworthiness of the New York Times. Its seems as if all the news that fit to print isn't as reliable as it should be. Maybe that is because the New York Times is a newspaper with an agenda instead of a news source. Additionally, it appears as if the family is using their other property, The Boston Globe, to much of the heavy lifting of totally biased pro-Kerry/anti-Bush stories.