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Archive for July, 2007

Fisk on O’Connor’s letter to Rumsfeld:

Thursday, July 26th, 2007

Not sure how well this will play north of the border.

Hands up those readers who know that Canada’s Defence Minister, Gordon O’Connor, actually sent a letter to Rumsfeld two days before his departure in disgrace from the Pentagon, praising this disreputable man’s “leadership”. Yes, O’Connor wanted “to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your [...]

Obama’s Iraq-Darfur Analogy

Saturday, July 21st, 2007

Yesterday, Obama caused bit of a blogospheric stir by drawing a link between US genocide prevention in Iraq and unilateral invasions of the DRC and Sudan. His attempt to explain this position in a 10 second sound bite, and the reaction to, and interpretation of, his statement marks a telling example of a position [...]

When it’s good…

Saturday, July 21st, 2007

It’s no secret that I have a soft spot for Hitch. Sympathetic to his polemical struggle of the moment or not - currently I am on some things (religion), and not on others (Iraq) - there is simply no living author with his breadth of literary and historical knowledge. Particularly not one who [...]

The Same but Different

Saturday, July 7th, 2007

The FT, on the new Harvard boss, and gender. Of course.
Ms Faust said that leadership experts contend that the female management style, thought to be more collegial and involve more consensus-building, is particularly suited to running an educational institution. Her predecessor, Lawrence Summers, the former US Treasury secretary, resigned as Harvard president amid tensions [...]

Johnson’s Release

Wednesday, July 4th, 2007

This is wonderful news. At the time of his kidnapping, Johnston was the only western journalist permanently based in Gaza. His kidnapping has had a serious effect on our knowledge of the region, and the wider conflict. Something that benefits no one. This line is also interesting:
Mr Johnston said Hamas’s seizure of power in Gaza [...]

poseur alert…

Wednesday, July 4th, 2007

Oh Puhleeze:
Does this set things up for a Friday verdict? Or will we go into another week?
For now we wait.
For reporters outside the courtroom sitting on the floor, it’s painful for sure.
But we have all been on far worse stakeouts in places colder and wetter, and where five-star eateries are not steps away and cellphone [...]

One more thing on Libby…

Wednesday, July 4th, 2007

It seems to me that what is getting lost here is that Libby was OBSTRUCTING an investigation. Not into WHO was the end point leaker, as Justice knew it was Armitage two months before it called on Fitzgerald to start the investigation. But rather on who ordered it, and whether they in so doing broke [...]

Best Libby related line yet?

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007

…And there have been some serious whoppers. For my money, so far, Snow has to be in the running:
Shortly thereafter, a reporter asked Tony Snow during a press briefing, “If there are more than 3,000 current petitions for commutation — not pardons, but commutation — in the federal system, under President Bush, will all [...]