politics

Monsieur Blair (for it is lui): Bonjour, Jacques. Comment allez-vous? Monsieur Chirac: Ecoutez-moi, dum-dum! Pourquoi are you putting votre nez dans la derri

Today was supposed to be the ‘Adlai Stevenson’ moment when Powell showed conclusive evidence to the UN about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. Unfortunately, this was no Adlai Stevenson revelation of deception, rather a series of fragmentary evidence which has done nothing to change the mind of those who are against the war, France in particular. If it is obvious that Iraq has a weapons of mass destruction program, why dilute the argument with spin about Al Qaeda? “There must be a temptation for London and Washington to exaggerate intelligence that fits their view of Iraq. That is not to say they have given in to it. But perceived exaggeration or spin would be counter-productive.” BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Analysis: Danger of spinning Iraqi case

Imagine looking at earth from space. For the last few million years nothing happens, then in 1969, a small blip as a tiny spec leaves earth, touches the moon and then, blip, back again. This happens a few more times and then nothing. People complain about costly things such as space exploration and high energy physics experiments. Why spend money on these things when we have issues like poverty? This argument is nihilistic. Why do we build monuments, paint, make films, write music, when there is still poverty all around? There is enough food in the world; poverty is the result of politics, exploitation and war above all. Human space exploration is one of our greatest achievements. To try and rationalize unmanned space flight on the grounds of practicality misses the point, it is like saying that the Sistine Chapel would be brighter if it were whitewashed. As a byproduct,…

Meg Hourihan: “I tried to watch the State of the Union last night. I even thought about blogging as it happened, but I realized the post would be a reactionary, emotional tirade short on insight and reflection.” Nah Meg, I’d be listening, and isn’t the ‘a reactionary, emotional tirade short on insight and reflection’ what we normally get from the other side of the fence. megnut.com – a weblog by meg hourihan

Jonathan Freedland reports on the Israeli election and how attempts to reign in Sharon’s corruption actually helped him. “A fortnight or so ago, the PM [Sharon] was haemorrhaging in the polls amid allegations of undeclared, million-dollar foreign donations. He was under police investigation. To stop the slide, he gave a televised address. By common consent, it was a disaster, with Sharon rambling and aggressive. Halfway through, he was pulled off the air by order of a high court judge, for violating the election law which bars on-air politicking outside the official campaign broadcasts. Instantly, and curiously, the slide was halted. It turns out that the judge’s decision had helped Sharon, by confirming what many Likud voters have long believed: that the country’s institutions, including the judiciary, are still run by the same condescending, leftwing Ashkenazi elite of old.” Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Jonathan Freedland reports on the war…

“where the cold war against communism in Middle Europe brought America and Europe together, the “war against terrorism” in the Middle East is pulling them apart. The Soviet Union united the West, the Middle East divides it.” The New York Review of Books: Anti-Europeanism in America

“Mr Blair now finds himself perilously close to his nightmare scenario – sandwiched between a US administration bent on war and the rest of Europe either openly hostile to military action or passively resistant.” Bush people claim to have evidence that will justify war and will show it after weapons inspectors give their report on Monday. They call it the Adlai Stevenson moment. Blair needs an Adlai Stevenson moment. Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | The message from the Bush camp: ‘It’s war within weeks’

Anil facetiously deconstructs the US Declaration of Independence in the manner of a Glenn Reynolds rant against Berkeley liberalism. Read the comments, looks like the right lose to me. anil dash – archives

Russia joins China, Canada, France and Germany as the latest country to oppose any rush to war with Iraq, furthering the diplomatic mess for the Bush administration. But, as they say, war is the continuation of diplomacy by other means. Putin Calls Bush, Sides with France and Germany in Resisting War (washingtonpost.com)

In Virgina you have to be: 21 to drink; 21 to purchase a handgun; 21 to join the police force; 18 to vote; 18 to purchase a rifle or shotgun; 18 to become a public notary; 18 to marry without parental consent; 18 to practice law; 18 to apply for a driving license without parental consent; 18 to gamble or buy a lottery ticket … and 17 to receive the death sentence. Virginia is for haters. Murder indictment of Malvo expected — The Washington Times

No, this is not from the Onion: Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Russian source: US ‘will attack Iraq next month’ “Interfax did not explain how the Russians had obtained the alleged details. However Russian website gazeta.ru, wryly noting that US news outlets had been predicting an attack in late February or early March for some time, ran a story titled ‘Russian general reads American paper’. “

Guardian Unlimited Uncommon wealth The Guardian looks at Bush’s tax cuts which affect the top 1% of tax payers and asks why “the Bush camp appears to have no fear of being seen as pandering to a relatively small coterie of country-club types. Any European politician proposing such a elitist fiscal policy would be destroyed in the press and the polls. “ The answer: “A poll at the time of the 2000 elections found that 19% of those asked believed they were in the top 1% income bracket. Another 20% expected to be there soon.” Unlike in Europe, optimism has given the right their ‘mandate’.