A Just War

* jane:

"Joe is pulling in nearly $100,000 a day in donations; he’s now raised over $10 million dollars and he’s pouring it into vote buying. This money isn’t coming because Joe is beloved; it’s coming because toppling him is a threat to oh so many who see their gravy train coming to an end if they have to be responsible to an electorate who expect them to stand for something. I know many think Joe will be under pressure to withdraw from the race if he loses the primary, but I wonder if he will be under pressure to stay in, to fight a proxy battle on behalf of those who think they’re next. They have certainly proven themselves willing to throw gobs of cash at him to forestall that eventuality. It will certainly be interesting to see if any of those writing the big checks will be willing to stand with him and suffer political LieberCooties should that day come."

* clemons:

An intelligence source of mine in Israel, subsequently confirmed by a Pentagon source has confirmed to TWN that the July 15th missile attack on an Israeli warship was an Iranian-made C802 Nur missile.
[]
The mystery is not that Hezbollah has sophisticated weapons produced by Iran. The mystery is that this missile was marked in such a way as to make it appear of British and/or American origin.

Strangely, the missile has markings in English language such as "Warning", "Flat Surface", and "Do Not Touch". There may be a logical explanation for the English language markings -- but my sources find the markings puzzling and not consistent with other such Iranian produced missiles.

I don't know the implications of this information -- just passing on what I have learned."

* frankrich:

" This history can't be undone; there's neither the American money nor the manpower to fulfill the mission left unaccomplished. The Iraqi people, whose collateral damage was so successfully hidden for so long by the Rumsfeld war plan, remain a sentimental abstraction to most Americans. Whether they are seen in agony after another Baghdad bombing or waving their inked fingers after an election or being used as props to frame Mrs. Bush during the State of the Union address, they have little more specificity than movie extras. Chalabi, Allawi, Jaafari, Maliki come and go, all graced with the same indistinguishable praise from the American president, all blurring into an endless loop of instability and crisis. We feel badly ... and change the channel."

* mcgovern:

"Honors for the leading role in the category of fiasco goes, ex aequo, to Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld – the "Cheney-Rumsfeld cabal," as described by Colin Powell's chief of staff at the State Department, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson (USA, ret.). At an awards ceremony, the cabal no doubt would offer copious thanks to key members of the cast – first and foremost, ideologues Paul Wolfowitz and Douglas Feith. The Oscar for best actress in a supporting role goes to Condoleezza Rice."

* Pat Buchanan complains:

"If Israel is not in violation of the principle of proportionality, by which Christians are to judge the conduct of a just war, what can that term mean? There are 600 civilian dead in Lebanon, 19 in Israel, a ratio of 30-1, though Hezbollah is firing unguided rockets, while Israel is using precision-guided munitions."