Best of the Web Today - July 20, 2006
By JAMES TARANTO
No More Tears®
We mocked Sen. George Voinovich pretty relentlessly last year for his crying jag over John Bolton's nomination as ambassador to the U.N. We see no reason to stop now, but we'd be remiss if we failed to acknowledge Voinovich's change of heart, which he explains in today's Washington Post:
I believe Bolton has been tempered and focused on speaking for the administration. He has referred regularly to "my instructions" from Washington, while also displaying his own clear and strong grasp of the issues and the way forward within the Security Council. He has stood many times side by side with his colleagues from Japan, Britain, Canada and other countries, showing a commitment to cooperation within the United Nations. . . .
Should the president choose to renominate him, I cannot imagine a worse message to send to the terrorists--and to other nations deciding whether to engage in this effort--than to drag out a possible renomination process or even replace the person our president has entrusted to lead our nation at the United Nations at a time when we are working on these historic objectives.
For me or my colleagues in the Senate to now question a possible renomination would jeopardize our influence in the United Nations and encourage those who oppose the United States to make Bolton the issue, thereby undermining our policies and agenda.
Turns out a good cry really does cleanse the mind.
Kerry and Hezbollah--II
Blogger "Bookworm" has more on the connections between the Kerry family and the terror outfit that styles itself the Party of God, or "Hezbollah":
In September 2004, there was a huge gathering of anti-American, anti-Israeli organizations in Beirut to attend a conference entitled "Where Next For The Global Anti-War And Anti-Globalization Movements? An International Strategy Meeting." The resulting manifesto, simultaneously turgid and strident, has as its primary goal attacking the U.S. war in Iraq. It's secondary goal is to challenge Israel's "occupation" of Palestinian lands. It's a nasty document, with a decidedly anti-American tone. What makes it interesting today is the identity of one of the organizations playing host to all these anti-American Leftist organizations: Hezbollah (identified on the last page as one of the Local Welcoming Committees). . . .
One of the participants from the United States was a group called United for Peace and Justice. Ordinarily, this would just be one of the icky little anti-American groups that America produces, along the lines of Code Pink : Women for Peace (which also attended this little American and Israel hatefest). What distinguishes United for Peace and Justice is that Teresa Kerry funds it. So, in 2004, a couple of months before Americans decided whether to put John Kerry in the White House, his wife's money was being used to fund one of the participants in a virulently anti-American meeting held in Beirut and hosted by Hezbollah. Once again, we have reason to be grateful that American voters put their money on George Bush.
To be clear, the money trail from Mrs. Kerry* to UPJ goes through several steps: According to the WorldNetDaily report linked above, her family foundation gives money to something called the Tides Foundation, which in turn gives to UPJ.
* The outspoken ketchup heiress and philanthropist, whose second (and current) husband by the way served in Vietnam for four months.
Putting a Jihad on You
"One of Saudi Arabia's leading Wahhabi sheiks, Abdullah bin Jabreen has issued a strongly worded religious edict, or fatwa, declaring it unlawful to support, join or pray for Hezbollah," the New York Sun's Eli Lake reports from Cairo, Egypt:
The surprising move demonstrates that Sunni Muslim fundamentalists in the Middle East are deeply divided over whether Moslems should support Hezbollah, Iran's Shiite proxies in the war raging in Lebanon.
While the Gulf's ascetic Wahhabi sects, who are closer to the ethnic fighting between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq, have opposed Hezbollah in its stand against Israel's forces, other Sunni fundamentalist groups, such as the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, have pledged their solidarity. On Friday, the brothers will host a rally in support of Hezbollah at Cairo's most influential mosque, Al-Azhar. . . .
The latest Arab Israeli war presents a conundrum for many Sunni Jihadists. On the one hand, a chance to join in the resistance against the Jewish state presents a rare opportunity for zealots who revere the Palestinian Arab martyrs that have sacrificed their lives to kill Jewish civilians. But the main group doing the fighting, and instigating the war this time in Lebanon, are supported by the same Shiite state that supplies and funds the militias killing Sunni civilians in Iraq.
The Saudi regime can claim no moral high ground here. As the Washington Post noted in February 2005, "religious prejudice has hardened into official policy" in Riyadh, at the expense of the kingdom's own Shiites, who make up perhaps 15% of the population:
The prospect of even incremental Shiite political gain has alarmed Sunni Muslim leaders across the Middle East, who fear that long-suppressed Shiite communities such as this one astride the kingdom's lifeblood oil industry will push for an ever-greater role in government. Sunni heads of state have warned the Bush administration that the democratic reform it is encouraging in Iraq and Saudi Arabia could result in a unified "crescent" of Shiite political power stretching from here through Lebanon, Iraq and into Iran.
Still, in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, the Saudis have ended up on the right side, albeit for the wrong reasons.
Too Much Is Never Enough
"With Israeli Use of Force, Debate Over Proportion"--headline, New York Times, July 19
"To Disarm Shadowy Guerrilla Army, Israeli Air Power May Not Be Enough"--headline, New York Times, July 20
Die Verlierer
Back in May we noted liberal baby boomers' tendency to see all contemporary events through the prism of Vietnam and Watergate, as if history began in 1968. The most striking example we've seen yet comes from the German magazine Der Spiegel, in an interview with Kofi Annan:
Spiegel: It seems that every US generation in recent history has had to go through the experience of losing a war.
Annan: Yes, and it is a bit sad to put it that way. One has to learn from history. Quite frankly, it is almost impossible to have a sense of vision without a sense of history. If history is learned, then it doesn't have to repeat itself over generations.
Blogger David Kaspar has some fun with the interviewer's ignorance (ellipsis in original):
Hmmm. OK, now let's see. Which generations have had to experience losing a war. The baby-boomers had to experience Vietnam. (Scratching head) OK. Now what other "US generation" had to experience losing a war? Did the US lose any other wars . . .? Are the reporters confusing the US with Germany? This is all so confusing.
We can think of a couple of major wars that previous generations of Americans won, 23 and 50 years before 1968. But then we suppose we understand why the Germans might want to forget about those.
Payback for Impeachment?--II
On Tuesday we noted some indications that the Angry Left's campaign against Sen. Joe Lieberman is inspired in substantial part by resentment over Lieberman's famous Senate speech criticizing President Clinton's conduct before Clinton's impeachment. Clinton himself, however, appears to have moved on, as the Associated Press reports:
One of the Democratic Party's biggest guns, former President Bill Clinton, is coming to Connecticut to campaign for Senator Joe Lieberman. . . .
Clinton recently defended Lieberman's position on the war in Iraq, saying he agreed with Lieberman that the U.S. should not set a strict timetable for withdrawing soldiers.
Clinton also said he thought it was wrong for Democrats to challenge one of their own.
Blogress Jane Hamsher writes that "Big Dog"--apparently her pet name for Clinton--"may not have taken it personally when Lieberman stabbed us all in the back with his speech on the floor of the Senate during the impeachment hearings, but many of us did."
Blogger Duncan "Atrios" Black links to Hamsher's item and comments, "One of Bill Clinton's oddest flaws is his willingness to forgive his enemies." Lieberman is Clinton's enemy? This is a splendid example of the immaturity of the Angry Left worldview. Adults understand that there is such a thing as friendly criticism; and even if one thinks Lieberman's reproach was too harsh, it was far from a stab in the back.
Indeed, there is a good argument that it served Clinton's interests by giving Senate Democrats political cover to vote against Clinton's conviction, as Lieberman himself did, without appearing to approve of Clinton's sexual misconduct and the crimes for which he was impeached.
Who'd have thought we'd see the day when Bill Clinton looks like a wise old man compared with his fellow Democrats?
Make Her Give Them Back!
"Top Stars Donated to Sen. Hillary Clinton"--headline, Associated Press, July 19
Shaken, Not Stirred
Angry Left tribune Markos "Kos" Moulitsas is feeling gloomy about the Democrats' chances in this year's elections:
One of the reasons, I am pessimistic about November is that I don't see Democrats turning out in huge numbers in the contests we've had so far. Democrats are so afraid to lead and inspire, that rank and file Democrats are unmotivated to turn out.
And it won't matter how poorly Republicans do, and how many Republicans tune out of the electoral process, if we can't get our own people to vote.
The Republicans are making a mess of things. Democrats don't seem to be learning their lessons. So why should they get vested in the elections and participate? So they can get their hearts broken in yet another November? It was a sentiment I saw a great deal of while traveling the country in my book tour, and it shook me greatly.
Seems he agrees with George Nethercutt--though even if they're both right, for the sake of 2008 Nethercutt's fellow Republicans would do well to heed his advice and not get complacent.
Wobegon on West 43rd
From a New York Times editorial on a study comparing public- and private-school students:
Instead of arguing about the alleged superiority of one category over another, the country should stay focused on the overarching problem: on average, American schoolchildren are performing at mediocre levels in reading, math and science--wherever they attend school.
If only they could all be above-average!
French Fried
The actress Brigitte Bardot says she's "ashamed to be French" and is thinking of moving to Sweden, reports the Associated Press. What is it that turned Bardot against her native land? The anti-Semitism? Paris's weaselly foreign policy and support for dictators like Saddam Hussein? The metric system? Nope. She is, according to the AP, "angered over what she called France's insensitivity to the plight of minks."
We suppose that like the Wahhibis vis-à-vis Hezbollah, she's right but for the wrong reason. Oh well, c'est la vie.
World Ends, Etc.
"A study by a former Federal Reserve economist shows that rounding [purchases to the nearest nickel] hurts lower-income people most, and this effect would be especially strong if only cash transactions are rounded."--Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D., N.Y.), explaining her opposition to abolition of the penny, July 19
Hot for the Handyman
We don't usually read women's magazines, but a reader called our attention to this article on the sexual allure of building contractors:
Renovation, according to the National Association of Home Builders, is at an all time high. And with the warm weather, which marks the peak of renovation season, come the contractors in their tool belts, which, for many a client, carry a romantic charge. (Men who don't get it might want to consider the garter belt.) They invade still-occupied houses, taking charge of renovation projects and spending several weeks in close proximity with their owners. Often, even today, it is the woman of the house who is home all day long; in summer resort areas like the Hamptons, she is sometimes there alone with the children from Monday to Friday. Who can blame her for harboring dreams of the contractor?
"They've been totally sexualized, like the U.P.S. man," said Stephen Drucker, the editor in chief of House Beautiful. "I can't tell you how many times when I hear somebody give a recommendation for a contractor it inevitably ends with the four words, 'And he's really cute.' "
This appeared in a women's magazine called the New York Times.
What Would We Do Without Police?
"Police: Drowned Man Tried to Swim"--headline, York (Pa.) Daily Record, July 19
What Would We Do Without AAA?
"AAA Says Record Gas Price Predictions May or May Not Come True"--headline, Kingsport (Tenn.) Times-News, July 20
What Would Residents Do Without Experts?
"Experts: Blasts Not Damaging; Some residents disagree"--headline and subheadline, Richmond Times-Dispatch, July 20
What Would Cows Do Without Farmers?
"Farmers Use Bull Semen to Inseminate Cows"--headline, Associated Press, July 19
Oh Well, There Are Plenty of Other Fish in the Sea
"Third of Male Fish in River Are Changing Sex"--headline, Daily Mail (London), July 19
He Must've Lost His Rod
"Texas Man Catches Fish With Human-Like Teeth"--headline, Internet Broadcasting System, July 19
What About the Separation of Church and State?
"Pope Confirmed as Homeland Security Chief"--headline, Union Leader (Manchester, N.H.), July 20
'And Finally, Monsieur, a Wafer-Thin Mint'
"Python Gulps Queen-Size Electric Blanket"--headline, Associated Press, July 19
Life Imitates Looney Tunes
"Hippety Hopper is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes series of cartoons. Robert McKimson introduced Hippety Hopper in "Hop, Look and Listen" (1948), which created the mold into which future Hippety Hopper cartoons would fall: baby kangaroo Hopper escapes from the zoo, the circus, etc., and is mistaken for a giant mouse by Sylvester. Sylvester tries to capture and eat his "prey", but the innocent and infantile Hippety mistakes Sylvester's predations for a game--a game of rough-housing, to be exact."--Wikipedia.org entry for "Hippety Hopper"
"A kangaroo is roaming the green hills of Ireland after escaping a circus near the picturesque port of Kinsale. . . . There had since been one unconfirmed sighting of the animal, renamed 'Hoppy' by locals and described as two and a half to three feet tall and dark in color."--Reuters, July 19
Thanks for the Tip!
"Motoring Tip: Stop Before Switching Drivers"--headline, MSNBC.com, July 18
Bottom Stories of the Day
o "Tiger, Faldo Shake Hands Before Open"--headline, FoxSports.com, July 19
o "Rangers' Kinsler Looks in Mirror"--headline, Dallas Morning News, July 20
We're Having a Heat Wave, a Tropical Heat Wave
The Times of London reports on the latest weather across the pond:
A heat wave has spread across Europe with near-tropical temperatures so far claiming seven lives as people struggle through their daily lives in temperatures reaching 40 degrees. . . .
In France, it is those in the southeast who are suffering the most, but even temperatures in Paris will soar to 36 degrees by midweek as the heat wave spreads to the north, forecasters said. . . .
An elderly man and woman have already died in the Bordeaux region in the when the heat exacerbated their medical conditions. Temperatures had reached 38 degrees when the 85-year-old man died in hospital, and the woman, 81 at her home.
A 53-year-old labourer in the eastern French town of Macon died overnight of "malign hyperthermia" after working outside in temperatures of 33 degrees, authorities said.
Wow. When it's 40 degrees or below, we are apt to don a sweater, and we always thought we were pretty insensitive to cold. These Europeans must have a really low tolerance for heat. No wonder they're always worrying about "global warming." |
