Don Singleton

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Edwards: Move Past 'War on Terror'

AP reported Democrat John Edwards Wednesday repudiated the notion that there is a "global war on terror," calling it an ideological doctrine advanced by the Bush administration that has strained American military resources and emboldened terrorists.

The Twin Towers are still there. Bush just hid them using a Romulan Cloaking Device.

In a defense policy speech he planned to deliver at the Council on Foreign Relations, Edwards called the war on terror a "bumper sticker" slogan Bush had used to justify everything from abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison to the invasion of Iraq. "We need a post-Bush, post-9/11, post-Iraq military that is mission focused on protecting Americans from 21st century threats,

Like Islamoterrorism?

not misused for discredited ideological purposes," Edwards said in remarks prepared for delivery. "By framing this as a war, we have walked right into the trap the terrorists have set—that we are engaged in some kind of clash of civilizations

Do you prefer the 8th century?

and a war on Islam."

You want to "move past" the War on Terror. To a state of full Dhimmi status?

Democrats Find Ethics Overhaul Elusive in House

NYT reported House Democratic leaders pushing a promised lobbying overhaul are facing resistance from balky lawmakers and fending off accusations that a prominent member is flouting new ethics rules. The Democratic leaders were forced to scrap a promise to double the current one-year lobbying ban after lawmakers leave office. Now, they are struggling to pass legislation requiring lobbyists to disclose the campaign contributions they “bundle” — collect and deliver — to lawmakers. Failing to deliver on both measures would endanger similar provisions already passed by the Senate. Other House rules changes this year appear to have done little to alter business as usual on Capitol Hill.

The Dems are just as bad, if not worse, than the Repuvlicans were.

... Republicans, pummeled by Democratic accusations of corruption during the last election, reveled in the turnabout. “It looks like the Democratic leaders should have brought their caucus along when they were thinking up campaign themes,” said Representative Ray LaHood, Republican of Illinois. Some newly elected Democrats say they worry about potential perceptions that their party has failed to deliver its promised cleanup. “Many of the freshmen ran on a campaign of, as Speaker Pelosi would say, ‘draining the swamp,’ on ethics and ethics enforcement,” said Representative Ed Perlmutter, a first-term Colorado Democrat.

Now they are learning that others may force them to break their word.

... Others say they do not see the point of doing more. “I didn’t make any of those campaign promises,” said Representative Michael E. Capuano, a Massachusetts Democrat who questions the bundling disclosure proposal and also opposed the extension of the so-called “revolving door” ban on lobbying by former members.

Of course not. You are from Massachusetts.

“I made a career change 20 years ago to be a full-time elected official,” Mr. Capuano said, explaining his position. “I am no longer qualified to be a tax attorney. It is like saying to people, ‘Please, come into public service, give it your all, and when you are done you are completely unqualified for anything else.’ ”

Don't stay for 20 years. We need term limits.

Others grumbled that Mr. Van Hollen, whose Democratic campaign committee duns each member for contributions, was pushing a measure that would make it harder to tap the easiest sources of such money — lobbyists. “We have dues that we are supposed to raise of several hundred thousand dollars,

Who is charging you dues that high? Tell them to go fly a kite.

and in the same breath we are informed that this is something we will have to vote for,” Representative James P. Moran, Democrat of Virginia, said. “I don’t know what we are supposed to do, except cold call all the people in the phone book in our districts.”

Obey Plans to Stomp Out All Earmark Opposition

The Club For Growth reported The House Appropriations Committee has decided to insert earmarks into all of the FY08 spending bills during the conferencing committees, instead of during the initial House-only process. This will prevent lawmakers like Jeff Flake from offering amendments to strip out wasteful pork projects...which is EXACTLY why David Obey, the Approps Chairman, is changing the rules. In defending his move, Obey said

“It’s my job to protect the committee."
What is the purpose of the committee. Is it's only purpose to try to get the people in 49 other states to support a project in your state?

Apparently, Obey's job to protect the American taxpayer is a lower priority. In a recent press release, Flake said, "This is a huge step backwards on earmark reform. As bad as the earmark process is now, this would make it immensely worse." On this, the porkbusting blogosphere should raise its alert status to DEFCON 1. First the Murtha debacle and now this? Things are getting out of control.

The only chance now is that since GWB finally found his Veto pen, and was successful in not only getting timelines but also pork out of the Defense bill, he will start vetoing EVERY FY08 spending bill until all earmarks are removed.

Glenn Reynolds blogged Good grief, did somebody declare this "Make a mockery of Democratic promises for reform" week? Actually, they're getting back under the control of the same old bunch of sleazoids. Meet the new boss, yada yada. And the new guys aren't helping: Freshmen fail ethics test. Congratulations to Jim Cooper, though, for doing the right thing.

Void Where Prohibited blogged News Flash! Congress is corrupt. Some of these guys make Hugo Chavez look ethical.

Israel to purchase Palestinian gas

Haaretz reported British gas producer BG Group is making progress in talks about supplying Palestinian gas to Israel from off the Gaza coast but political tensions remain an obstacle to a potential deal, it said on Wednesday.

A very big obstacle. If Fatah was in power it would pretend to be peaceful, and make the deal, and then steal the money paid by Israel, but I dont think Hamas is smart enough to even pretend that it can deal with Israel, even to get a bunch of money it desperately needs.

A deal would have a significant impact on the Palestinian government, which is in the middle of a cash crunch. It would result in $100 million a year in taxes, royalties and equity. The British newspaper The Times reported that the group was poised to agree on the terms of a $4 billion deal to supply gas to Israel, with representatives from the British energy firm scheduled to meet Israeli negotiators next week. "At the moment we are making progress in the negotiations. but any potential deal will require bilateral engagement between the two governments [Israel and Palestinian Authority] to get the project across the line," a BG spokesman said.

One of them is civilized, and capable of making a deal with its neighbors. The other is not.

"There are still commercial issues to be resolved in the negotiations but the fundamental point here is that bilateral engagement is absolutely essential to get any project across the line."

Meryl Yourish blogged If Israel were the evil, racist, apartheid, monster state that everyone says it is, she would simply commandeer that part of Gaza that holds the natural gas fields and not pay for it. Funny how that works, though. Israel’s going to seal the deal that can only help the Palestinian economy—well, it would if the leadership weren’t going to steal the money from its people.... I would love to hear the answer to these questions from, say, Adam Shapiro. But then, he’s too busy calling Israel a racist, evil, apartheid, warmongering state to notice that Israel is perfectly willing to get along with the Palestinians. It’s the Palestinians who don’t want to get along with Israel.

How Muslims say thank you

Assyrian International News Agency reported The Reverend Temathaus Eisha, pastor of the Church of St. Shimoni in the besieged1 Dora district of Baghdad, confirmed to ankawa.com that the information published about the forced displacement of Christian Assyrians from their homes in the district is accurate. He added that the conditions were horrible, especially in the Al-Ta'ma, Al-iskan, Al-mo'alimeen, Al-shurTa, Al-sitten, and Asia neighborhoods.

Is this how Muslims say thank you to the US (a predominately Christian country) for freeing them from the oppression of Saddam?

The three remaining neighborhoods that are relatively calm are Hai Al-athuriyeen (Assyrian quarter), Al-jim'iya, and Al-sihha. The large-scale campaign consists of expelling all Christians, unless they convert to Islam or pay the jizya (AINA 4-17-2007, 3-18-2007), a "protection" tax demanded by the Koran
Muhammad's earliest biographer Ibn Ishaq explains the contexts of various verses of the Qur'an by saying that Muhammad received revelations about warfare in three stages: first, tolerance; then, defensive warfare; and finally, offensive warfare in order to convert the unbelievers to Islam or make them pay the jizya: Surah 9:29 says "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued."
, or leave their homes and belongings.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Covert Action Against Iran

The Blotter reported The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert "black" operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com.

Good for him.

The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, say President Bush has signed a "nonlethal

A lethal approach would be more successful. Kill a couple of mullahs, and make it look like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did it, then a few days later kill a couplle of Ahmadinejad's people, and ,ake it look like the mullahs did it, yhen sit back and watch them kill each other.

presidential finding" that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran's currency and international financial transactions.

Good point from Glenn Reynolds

Instapundit blogged THERE ARE TWO AMERICAS, and one of them is defending the other. Military recruiting stays strong.

Some US Muslims say suicide attacks OK

Yahoo! News reported One in four younger U.S. Muslims say suicide bombings to defend their religion are acceptable at least in some circumstances,

Defend it against what? A cartoon? Someone criticizing a suicide bombing? Someone quoting something from the Qur'an you wish they did not know, like this
Qur'an 4:34 says Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and beat them; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great.
or something from the Hadith, like this
Translation of Sahih Muslim, Book 19: The Book of Jihad and Expedition (Kitab Al-Jihad wa'l-Siyar) 19:4294 says Fight in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah. Fight against those who disbelieve in Allah. Make a holy war .... If they refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the Jizya. [A special tax that Jews and Christians must pay to live in a Muslim country. Followers of other religions are just killed outright if they refuse to convert to Islam.] If they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your hands. If they refuse to pay the tax, seek Allah's help and fight them. [i.e. they must convert to Islam, pay a special very high tax so they can live as second class citizens, or die.]
or this
"Whoever changes his religion, kill him" which is called for in Bukhari, Abu Dawud, and many other Haddith that are not online, including Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, An-Nasai, the Muwatta of Imam Malik, Tayalisi, Ibn Hanbal, Ibn Hibban, the Sunan al-Kubraa, Bayhaqi, Abu Ya'laa, Humaidi, Abd al-Razzaq, and Ibn Abi Shaybah.

though most Muslim Americans overwhelmingly reject the tactic and are critical of Islamic extremism and al-Qaida, a poll says.... While nearly 80 percent of U.S. Muslims say suicide bombings of civilians to defend Islam can not be justified, 13 percent say they can be, at least rarely.

It can NEVER be justified.

That sentiment is strongest among those younger than 30. Two percent of them say it can often be justified, 13 percent say sometimes and 11 percent say rarely. "It is a hair-raising number," said Radwan Masmoudi, president of the Washington-based Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy, which promotes the compatibility of Islam with democracy.

A lot of people are confused by the poll. There is a lot of good stuff on it at Jihad Watch here, here, here, here, and here.

IowaHawk has a very funny twist on it in which he pretends it is about Lutherans and their feelings about Presbyterians.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Dems set war bill without Iraq timeline

Yahoo! News In grudging concessions to President Bush, Democrats intend to draft an Iraq war-funding bill without a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and shorn of billions of dollars in spending on domestic programs, officials said Monday. The legislation would include the first federal minimum wage increase in more than a decade, a top priority for the Democrats who took control of Congress in January, the officials added. While details remain subject to change, the measure is designed to close the books by Friday on a bruising veto fight between Bush and the Democratic-controlled Congress over the war. It would provide funds for military operations in Iraq through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.

The nutroots are outraged:

Brendan blogged The Democrats, Pelosi and Reid among them, promised to end the war in Iraq. That is why we voted for them in 2006. If I wanted more of the same, I would have voted for any number of incumbent Republicans who would continue business as usual.... With all due respect, fuck you and the donkey you rode in on.
Does this mean you are not happy?
mcjoan blogged This isn't the end of the fight, just so everyone is clear on that. This is funding for the remaining of the fiscal year, probably not beyond, again, September. There are still defense bills coming up to work on. What that means is building on the 29 votes we got in the Senate, and the 171 in the House for withdrawal.
If you could not previail now, future interference with defense bills will just hurt the Dems.
Keep the pressure on.

Michael Winter reported AP says officials Democrats might craft a separate bill to try to pass the stripped domestic funding, which Bush and Republicans are oppose.

And how are you going to get past Bush's veto?

Turkish protests

World News Australia reported Tens of thousands of Turks waving red national flags have gathered in the city of Samsun in the latest protest against the Islamist-rooted government ahead of a July election. "No to Sharia (Islamic law)", "Turkey is secular and will remain secular", the crowd chanted in the main square.

It looks like they know what is at risk if the Islamists take over.

The rally, the latest in a series of protests, was billed by organisers as a way of uniting the divided opposition against the government which they accuse of trying to undermine the secular state in overwhelmingly Muslim Turkey. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party, which denies any Islamist agenda, has called a national election ahead of schedule to resolve a conflict with the secularist elite over a presidential election. The secular establishment, including the military, judges and opposition parties, derailed the government's plan to elect Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as president, fearing he might weaken the official separation of religion and state.

Robert Spencer blogged It's ironic that the Turks protest in large numbers against Sharia, while in the West any criticism of Sharia is labeled "Islamophobia."

Mosque threatens Jihad against Pakistan gov't

Jerusalem Post reported A defiant cleric warned Pakistan authorities that a raid on his mosque where two policemen are being held captive by radical Islamic students would lead to a holy war against the government, as police detained dozens of students.

I wonder if even the most extreme haters of faith can envision a church threatening to use force to overthrow the government.

The abduction tops months of bold challenges by the Red Mosque to the authority of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's secular, military government. Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said there were no plans to move against the mosque or a radical Islamic seminary attached to it in downtown Islamabad, adding Sunday that use of force to free the captured officers was a "last option."

Afghan parliament suspends outspoken female lawmaker

Herald Tribune reported Afghanistan's lower parliamentary house voted Monday to suspend an outspoken female lawmaker, who has enraged former mujahedeen fighters now in President Hamid Karzai's U.S.-backed government. The lawmaker, Malalai Joya, 29, said in a recent interview with private Afghan station Tolo TV that the country's parliament was like a "stable or zoo." "This is a word that fits — a cattle house is full of animals, like a cow giving milk, a donkey carrying something, a dog that's loyal," Joya said. The video was shown in the legislature Monday, and angry lawmakers voted to suspend her, said parliamentary spokesman Haseb Noori.

They may still be animals, but animals bite.

... Joya's outspoken ways have earned her many enemies in Afghanistan. In February, during a rally to support a proposed amnesty for Afghans suspected of war crimes, thousands of former fighters shouted "Death to Malalai Joya!"

That really shows they are well suited to be in the legislature.

Last May, Joya called some lawmakers "warlords" in a parliamentary speech, prompting some lawmakers to throw water bottles at her. A minor scuffle broke out between her supporters and detractors, and Joya later said some legislators had threatened to rape her as payback.

Do they do that to male legislators they disagree with as well?

Brynn blogged Although the BBC billed Joya in January of last year as, “one of the most popular MPs in Afghanistan,” she has nonetheless been the target of four assassination attempts and her home has been bombed.

I guess the majority of Afghanistan’s members of parliament, in addition to being sexists chauvinist pigs and (many of them) religious fanatics, also have no grasp of metaphor. Or is that redundant to mention, in light of the former two?.... The full quote from above is, “They will kill me but they will not kill my voice, because it will be the voice of all Afghan women. You can cut the flower, but you cannot stop the coming of spring.”

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Dress "offensive" to Islam

The Daily Telegraph reported This is the outfit that has been labelled "offensive" and "disrespectful" to the Muslim community.

Twenty-three-year-old journalist Latika Bourke was verbally attacked bya group of Muslim men outside a Sydney mosque because of her dress. "This young man approached me and said: 'You should be wearing more clothes. You need to cover up, you mutt','' Ms Bourke, who works for 2UE Radio, recounted. Ms Bourke, who was wearing a black trenchcoat, knee-high boots and gloves, said she was shocked and humiliated. "I'm just incredulous as to why they would say that ... what else is there to cover up? They are doing themselves no favours by behaving like this.''

Especially since they were about to get some free publicity, and this action caused that publicity to be negative.

Ms Bourke was waiting to interview controversial mufti Sheik Taj Eldeen Alhilaly at Lakemba mosque when a man aged about 20 confronted her..... Ms Bourke, a Christian, said she was very conscious of the need to respect other people's religions. "I knew it was important to cover up when you go to a mosque and that's why I wore a long coat and gloves. "As soon as it happened I looked at myself and thought, 'What am I wearing that is offensive?'''

Apparently he wanted you to wear a burka

Palestinian diplomat raps attempt to link terrorism to Islam

Indian Muslims wrote Palestine's permanent envoy to the United Nations (UN) and Ambassador to Austria Zohair Al-Wazir condemned any attempts to link terrorism and Islam on Friday.

The link is established by what the terrorists themselves say.

"The Palestinian people are a stark reminder of life under occupation and state terrorism as practiced by the Israeli against them, their sanctities and lands over long decades," Al-Wazir told KUNA on the sidelines of the first anti-terrorism forum here.

The "occupation is a result of arab countries attacking Israel, and it winning the land as it pushed back against the attack, but they have been given many opportunities to end that "occupation". All they have to is stop trying to kill their neighbors, and make peace with Israel.

"The Palestinian people are against all forms of terrorism,” he said, asserting the need to uproot all causes of terrorism including oppression and state terrorism.

Does that include suicide bombers and firing rockets to kill anyone they can, regardless of who is hit?

"Among the roots of terrorism are the adoption of double standards in dealing with political issues, occupation, and infringement on human rights. "The Palestinian delegation to the forum renewed commitment to the resolution of the Arab League foreign ministers' meeting of March on opposition to all forms of terrorism and all attempts to link this global phenomenon to Islam. "Islam advocates tolerance, moderation and coexistence," he pointed out.

As long as Sharia law is in control, and as long as the people they are allowing to live have accepted a second class position, and pay a major tax to the Muslims.

Palestine is for launching a global anti-terrorism centre to coordinate the efforts of world countries and regional organizations in this field, Al-Wazir said.

You have got to be kidding.

Government officials and experts from around the world met in the Austrian capital, Vienna on Thursday to discuss means of fighting terrorism, in the first anti-terrorism forum. Head of the crime prevention and anti-narcotics office of the UN Jean-Paul Laborde told KUNA the two-day forum would discuss issues related to the international strategy against terrorism and enhancement of security measures at local, regional and international levels.

Worst

Yahoo! News reports Former President Carter says President Bush's administration is "the worst in history" in international relations, taking aim at the White House's policy of pre-emptive war and its Middle East diplomacy.

This from the worst president we ever had.

The criticism from Carter, which a biographer says is unprecedented for the 39th president, also took aim at Bush's environmental policies and the administration's "quite disturbing" faith-based initiative funding. "I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history,"

It will be interesting to see what historians 50 years from now say about both the Carter administration and the Bush administration.

Carter told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in a story that appeared in the newspaper's Saturday editions. "The overt reversal of America's basic values as expressed by previous administrations, including those of George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon and others, has been the most disturbing to me."

Gee, a Democratic former president did not like any Republican president. Color me surprised.

Macranger blogged This coming from the worst President in US History, who while suffering depression - that he incidently tried to spread to the entire country - demanded the resignation of his entire Cabinet and 23 other senior White House officials.

Talk about depression, who could forget 18 percent inflation and 20-percent interest rates during his term. Cripes, I’m depressed just remembering it.

Not forget how he so completely micro-managed the Iran hostage rescue that he should have been tried for murder in the deaths of my comrades who perished in the botched operation, one of the greatest embarrassments to the Armed Services in history.

If there were a way to commit this crazy old man to the ex-presidential nuthouse, I’d sign the papers.

Pamela Geller Oshry blogged While Carter's domestic policies were Shermanesque (who can forget those 21% interest rates), it was his bungled, traitorous foreign policy that left the biggest scar on the face of humanity.

If there was one single moment in modern world history, when one critical fuck up determined the course of human events it was when Jimmy Carter abandoned our ally in Iran and literally installed the Ayatollah Khomeini as the leader the of the new Islamic state. In every conversation I had ever had with expatriate Iranians this is their mantra.Sister Toldjah blogged Isn’t it very telling that the same former president who routinely takes up for and makes excuses for Palestinian terrorists, including the Hamas terrorist organization - while trying to undermine the United States by bringing Cuba to the UN human rights table - doesn’t extend that same benefit of the doubt to his own country’s government?

This is the moral bankruptcy Jimmy Carter brings to the table every time he opens his mouth to denigrate the President while siding with the Jew-hating terrorists who comprise Hamas. Via extension, Carter, sadly, is representative of so many other modern day Democrats when it comes to denouncing this administration while downplaying the threats we face overseas, essentially saying that it’s President Bush who is the bigger threat than actual terrorists who want to kill us.

As far as the “worst administration in history” bit, I wonder if Carter happens to have a mirror handy for the next time he says that, especially considering the fact that not only does he continue to make excuses for terrorists but former officials in his own adminstration are doing the same thing?

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Liberals Are Worried That Leadership Will Cave On Iraq

TPMCafe blogged Today the White House said No to all of Dems' offered concessions on Iraq, effectively telling the Dem Congressional leadership to take its "surrender date" and shove it deep into its posterior. So now what?

It will slide in easier if they drop their drawers first.

.... Here's the situation in a nutshell, as best as we understand it. The White House says it simply won't accept any sort of timetable, even a waivable one. It says it won't accept any kind of benchmarks for progress in Iraq if there are any consequences for not meeting them. So aside from sending the bill back there are only two apparent possibilities left: Either the White House gives on one of these points.

Which is not going to happen.

Or the Dem Congressional leadership caves and produces a bill funding the war until, say, September, with some sort of benchmarks but no accountability -- in other words, something that's effectively meaningless.

They can always cut off funding totally, but then they will be responsible for the result.

According to our Hill staffer, some liberals are beginning to fear that it will ultimately be the latter. They are persuaded that the Dem leadership will ultimately back down in hopes that other future legislative routes will prove more fertile. "If this is what they go with, it begs the question, Why did we go through this whole exercise with the first supplemental and everything else?" our staffer asks. "What did we really accomplish?"

Nothing. What did you think you were going to accomplish.

Israel launches new airstrikes on Hamas

Yahoo! News reported Israeli airstrikes targeted Hamas for a fifth straight day Saturday, hitting a rocket squad and two workshops in Gaza, and the defense minister warned militants who attack Israel they should be "very afraid."

But if they would stop firing rockets into Israel they could proceed with killing their fellow Palestinians without worrying about Israel.

But Defense Minister Amir Peretz also said now is not the time for a major Israeli ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.... Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said he expected the latest truce to stick because of Israel's military strikes. "No one would accept to fight one another while the Israelis are shelling Gaza," he said.

He does not want to worry about two enemies at the same time. But his rocket fire is what is causing the Israelis to attack.

Israel launched its latest round of airstrikes on Tuesday to counter a stepped-up barrage of Hamas rockets on Israeli border towns. The militant group, which refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist, has fired nearly 120 rockets at southern Israel since Tuesday, the military said. On Saturday, Israel missiles slammed into a rocket squad near the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, the army said. Earlier in the day, missile strikes demolished two suspected Hamas metal workshops.

Does this cause him to think maybe they don't like the rockets?

Asks no questions

iBostonHerald. reported Justice Clarence Thomas sat through 68 hours of oral arguments in the Supreme Court’s current term without uttering a word.

Maybe he reads the pleadings from the two sides, and can understand what they are saying, and does not need them to explain it to him

... Thomas has said in the past that he will ask a pertinent question if his colleagues don’t but sees no need to engage in the back-and-forth just to hear his own voice. A recent tally by McClatchy Newspapers underscored this point: Thomas has spoken 281 words since court transcripts began identifying justices by name in October 2004. By contrast, Thomas’ neighbor on the bench, Justice Stephen Breyer, has uttered nearly 35,000 words since January.

He must like to hear himself talk. Either that or he does not understand what the lawyers write in their briefs.

What is going on in China

NYT reported Diethylene glycol, a poisonous ingredient in some antifreeze, has been found in 6,000 tubes of toothpaste in Panama, and customs officials there said yesterday that the product appeared to have originated in China.

What is going on in China. First poisoned pet food, and now poisened toothpaste?

“Our preliminary information is that it came from China, but we don’t know that with certainty yet,” said Daniel Delgado Diamante, Panama’s director of customs. “We are still checking all the possible imports to see if there could be other shipments.”

Debate Rises On World Bank Succession

WaPo reported The departure of Paul D. Wolfowitz as World Bank president is prompting calls around the world to revoke the traditional right of the United States to select the institution's leader. As the White House asserted its claim on picking Wolfowitz's successor, aid groups and former bank officials demanded that the next president be selected not in deference to the Bush administration, but on professional merits. Advocacy groups and development experts took aim at an unwritten rule that has for six decades governed the financial institutions created in the aftermath of World War II: The U.S. president picks the World Bank chief, and Europe selects the head of its affiliate institution, the International Monetary Fund.

The World Bank is corrupt and needs cleaning up. That is what Wolfowitz was trying to do, and is the real reason he was framed. Bosh should name someone even more interested in cleaning the bank up, and if they will not accept that, the US should stop contributing major amounts of money to the bank.

Betsy Newmark blogged Why we should be pouring so much money into a corrupted institution should be a question for America's politicians. Just because it has a feel-good sounding mission doesn't mean that it is accomplishing that mission. If it can't be cleaned up, then what good is it?

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