I recognize that much of the Democrats’ complaining about the use of prewar intelligence on Iraq — including the move Tuesday to force a closed-door session in the Senate — is a lot of political gotcha. I also understand that most members of Congress and a number of other countries thought Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. But I don’t buy the current GOP line that everyone made a mistake so no one is really to blame. The Bush administration led the charge in selling Congress and the American public on the need to launch a pre-emptive war, so it deserves the most scrutiny and accountability for how it used intelligence information.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Not surprisingly, The Wall Street Journal editorial board thinks Democrats are playing politics in demanding an investigation of the Bush administration’s use of Iraq intelligence. An editorial Thursday argues: “The scandal here isn’t what happened before the war. The scandal is that the same Democrats who saw the same intelligence that Mr. Bush saw, who drew the same conclusions, and who voted to go to war are now using the difficulties we’ve encountered in that conflict as an excuse to rewrite history. Are Republicans really going to let them get away with it?”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Cervical cancer, which is caused by a sexually transmitted virus, kills almost 4,000 women in the United States each year. A promising new vaccine that could virtually wipe out cervical cancer is being resisted by some conservative abstinence-only advocates who worry that it might encourage girls to be sexually active.
Their logic is strained to the breaking point here. The vaccine is behavior-neutral; it simply provides protection against this virus when and if the person becomes sexually active, whether inside or outside of marriage. Most young women don’t even know about the virus in question, research suggests, so how could a vaccine to protect them from it encourage promiscuity? It’s not likely to be a determining factor in their choices.
A more legitimate issue is whether the vaccine should be mandatory, included in the usual boosters required for public school students. I’m not convinced that it should be. Perhaps there’s some middle ground whereby students are strongly encouraged to be vaccinated but an opt-out provision is included for parents dead-set against it. Most parents, I’d guess, would choose protection for their children.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Rappers aren’t known for feuding about politics, but 50 Cent has made it clear that he doesn’t agree with Kanye West’s statement that President Bush doesn’t care about black people.
“I think people responded to it the best way they can,” 50 said of Hurricane Katrina. “What Kanye West was saying, I don’t know where that came from.
“The New Orleans disaster was meant to happen. It was an act of God.”
Posted by Melissa Cooley
The Wichita Boathouse is an attractive building and a familiar sight along the riverfront. So the initial response to reports that WaterWalk developers would like to tear it down is likely to be — “Not so fast!”
True, the city of Wichita should proceed cautiously on this one, considering the late City Manager Chris Cherches’ work to protect the building in the original WaterWalk contract and the generous private donations that went into it.
That said, the Boathouse is not a historic structure, not an architectural landmark, not a successful cultural program or institution — the city has always struggled to find a use for it. And it’s long been a square peg in WaterWalk design plans.
So Wichitans should reserve judgment on its fate until they learn more about the developers’ proposal. If, as reported, the added space could help land a major corporate headquarters, or some other compelling use, then the Boathouse might have to make way for progress.
Let’s wait and see our options.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
“Sam intends to go to law school and eventually to warm a seat on the Supreme Court.” — Samuel Alito’s self-written entry in the 1972 Princeton University yearbook, which also wryly noted, “He spent his senior year as a Woodrow Wilson scholar, thinking great and ineffable thoughts.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
ARENA SITED NEAR KELLOGG SEX SHOPS; Planners Say Smut Dealers Provide ‘Guaranteed Draw’
ALITO/BUSH LETTERS REVEALED; ‘Mr. President, May I Say Something on a Personal Note? You Rock!’
KLINE SWITCHES PARTIES TO RUN AGAINST MORRISON; AG Race Thrown Into Confusion as Kline Says He, Too, Realized Dems Are Tougher on Crime
INVESTIGATORS FIND MOON ROCKS IN ARY’S YARD LANDSCAPING; Former Cosmosphere Director Claims He Bought Them at Home Depot
NO CORN MAZES, MINIATURE GOLF, GROCERY SHOPPING; Latest Restrictions for Sexual Offenders Called ‘Prudent’
Posted by Randy Scholfield
