At least I found it a little helpful. My state is having its primary on Feb 5. I don't really follow politics too closely, so I need a little help to figure out who I am going to vote for. I found this quiz at From My Position some time back.
Those Harry Potter books have been out for HOURS and I don't have my Amazon.com guaranteed-delivery-today copy! What a travesty!
Wait, aren't I the one who is always complaining that this country has no patience? We leave if there is a line at the drive-thru Starbucks. We curse queues at the DMV. We hate to wait. So why should I be surprised that the general public and the politicians cannot seem to muster the courage and patience to wait for GEN Petraeus's report due in 8 weeks?
Maybe some of these people should take a page from the real milspouse handbook. We are really good at waiting for what's most important.
But I digress. I still want my book now. But I know I can wait a few more hours until the mailman gets here.
From WaPo, Senate defeats a bill to cut off funding for troops next year.
The Senate yesterday soundly rejected a symbolic bid to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq within a year, underscoring lingering divisions within the Democratic Party over how hard to push President Bush to end the war.
Despite heavy public opposition to the conflict, 19 Democrats broke with their party's antiwar leadership to oppose cutting off funding by March 31, 2008, joining 47 Republicans and one independent in the 67 to 29 vote against the measure. The Senate's four Democratic presidential candidates were among the supporters of the measure, offered as an amendment to unrelated bill, as House and Senate leaders prepared to negotiate a spending package that would fund the war through September.
From the Opinion Journal, The new strategy can work. But Washington has to give it time.. . . Slow progress toward an acceptable modus vivendi may still be possible as long as the U.S. doesn't insist on artificial timetables to resolve complex and emotional issues. What incentive do Iraqi politicians have to make compromises if they think that American troops are heading out the door? If that's the case, Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds would be well advised to avoid making any concessions that would strengthen their mortal enemies. Thus all the talk in Washington about troop withdrawals has the opposite effect from what is intended. Instead of spurring Iraqi politicians to compromise, it leads them to be more obdurate. . . .
Posts
All Comments
