White House officials reportedly are saying that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will retire early next year. If so, good. He should have been sacked long ago for the disastrous pre- and postwar planning in Iraq.
The New York Daily News is also reporting that Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., may be a contender to replace Rumsfeld. Reportedly, Lieberman was considered for the United Nations ambassador’s job instead of John Bolton.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
A couple of interesting items relating to the case of University of Kansas professor Paul Mirecki, who stepped down as chairman of KU’s religious studies department Wednesday after allegedly being beaten Monday by two men who cited his planned course labeling creationism and intelligent design as mythologies. He told the University Daily Kansan he’s received more than 2,000 e-mails — the “vast majority” supportive — since the controversy arose.
And KU professor Dennis Dailey, who was at the center of a similar firestorm a few years ago over his human sexuality class, told the UDK he received eight to 10 anonymous death threats at the time. “I wasn’t scared by the person who made all the fuss in the Legislature,” Dailey said, referring to Sen. Susan Wagle, R-Wichita. “I was scared of wackos who might strike out against me. I’m just thankful nothing happened.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Apparently President Bush is on the wrong side of the “War on Christmas.” He sent out 1.4 million cards wishing the recipients a happy “holiday season.” Those are fighting words to religious conservatives who believe there is an effort under way to purge "Christ" from Christmas.
Bush "claims to be a born-again, evangelical Christian. But he sure doesn’t act like one," Joseph Farah, editor of the conservative Web site WorldNetDaily.com, told the Washington Post. "I threw out my White House card as soon as I got it."
Somehow, I don’ think that Christ is in any danger of being purged in this country, no matter what kind of card the president sends out or what phrase Target uses in its advertisements. To suggest that such minor details pose a serious threat doesn’t give the religion much credit.
Posted by Melissa Cooley
I have to weigh in and disagree with Rhonda’s post yesterday, in which she blasted Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean for his alleged “cut and run” comments in a radio interview.
Granted, Dean often invites trouble with his choice of words, but if I understand him, he should be commended for stating what many policymakers believe: U.S. forces aren’t going to win militarily in Iraq. Even Bush administration and Pentagon officials have admitted as much. The emphasis now is on how to hand the fight over to Iraqi troops, who will deal with the insurgency for years to come.
Moreover, Dean, as Rep. Jack Murtha did, spoke in terms of “redeployment” — not cutting and running. He would bring home 80,000 National Guard and Reserve troops next year, pointing out that these troops weren’t trained to undertake this kind of open-ended foreign mission. That’s correct.
He said he’d bring all of the troops home within two years, with 20,000 troops sent to Afghanistan, and with a strike force left behind in a friendly Arab country to deal with threats posed by Zarqawi and his cohorts.
Call me crazy, but Dean’s points sound reasonable, and worthy of debate, and they’re well within the mainstream of current options. Dean’s critics are the ones trying to score cheap political points at the expense of an honest debate about Iraq strategy.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Headline in Sunday’s Eagle (and probably soon to be seen on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno) regarding declining sales of anti-impotence drugs:
“Viagra doesn’t see growth it expected”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
A conservative education think tank, Thomas B. Fordham Institute, recently issued a report giving Kansas an “F” for its most recent science standards, saying the evolution standards are “radically compromised” by an intelligent design agenda that “makes a mockery of the very definition of science.”
But evolution wasn’t the only problem. The report also called Kansas’ high school physics standards “deficient” and its chemistry benchmarks “uninspiring.”
It’s small comfort that Kansas was one of 12 states that received failing grades on its science standards. The larger point: America’s science education is failing the country.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
President Bush once famously looked into the eyes of Russian President Vladimir Putin and liked what he saw. Now he needs to focus on Putin’s actions, which were the subject of cautionary commentaries this week in The New York Times and The Washington Post. What passes for democracy in Russia has long been suspect. But barring foreign nonprofit groups from having offices in Russia? Denying Russian groups suspected of “political” activities from receiving foreign funds? Ending elections of regional leaders? Such measures find the Kremlin increasingly trying to cut off Russia from the global marketplace of ideas and recentralize control. To his credit, Bush reportedly brought up such issues in a conversation with the Russian president last month. He and other champions of democracy need to keep the pressure on.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
