President Bush said today that he was “taken aback” by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s claim that former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage threatened to bomb Pakistan “back into the Stone Age” unless it cooperated in the war on terror. Bush said the first time he heard about this was when he read it in the newspaper today. Armitage has denied saying that.
Given Pakistan’s lead role in supporting the Taliban and exporting nuclear weapon technology, the threat, if true, might not have been out of line. But there is some skepticism about whether it really happened, or whether Musharraf is playing to the anti-American sentiments in Pakistan or trying to get publicity for the upcoming release of his memoir.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
The U.S. Army may be forced to make even greater use of the National Guard to provide enough troops for overseas deployments, the New York Times reported. Guard troops already have been carrying a considerable burden in Iraq and elsewhere. And the Guard has been sending units to foreign deployments every three to four years, rather than allowing five years at home, which is the Guard’s goal. In addition to disrupting the family life and careers of citizen soldiers, the more frequent and longer deployments can strain states, which rely on National Guard troops and their equipment in natural disasters and other emergencies.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
When the Rev. Terry Fox resigned as pastor of Wichita’s Immanuel Baptist Church, he said it was because some church members thought he traveled too much, and that any other explanations were just rumors. Getting a top leader at Immanuel to talk about the abrupt departure has been almost impossible. But this week the church released a statement that Fox’s use of church funds to support his radio program was a factor in the resignation. It also said that testimony from many witnesses “reflected negatively on the Scriptural qualifications expected of a pastor” — whatever that means. And it said that Fox threatened to sue “individuals who might say anything negatively” about him.
Earlier, two Immanuel deacons told The Eagle that, in addition to the travel issue, other church concerns were Fox’s “arrogant” attitude toward the congregation, “the appearance of integrity failures,” and his constant references to political and social issues, such as abortion, from the pulpit. Fox denied that he did anything wrong by using church mission money to support his radio program, and he said that he didn’t threaten to sue anyone when he met with church officials.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Most observers have credited President Bush’s recent improvement in the polls to his sobering speeches related to the Sept. 11 anniversary. But as USA Today observed, in noting that Bush’s 44 percent approval rating is the highest in a year, cheaper gas could have as much to do with Americans’ sweeter assessment of their leader. “Statisticians who have compared changes in gas prices and Bush’s ratings through his presidency have found a steady relationship: As gas prices rise, his ratings fall. As gas prices fall, his ratings rise,” wrote Susan Page. Which makes predictions of decreases of 10 to 20 cents more per gallon by Election Day good news for the White House and congressional Republicans.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
FYI: Kansas State Board of Education member Ken Willard (in photo), who heads the board’s subcommittee that supposedly oversees member travel, defended the two trips to be taken this fall by Connie Morris, who was defeated in her re-election bid. Morris’ travel “is not an issue as far as I’m concerned,” Willard told Harris News Service. “We have a policy in place, and we have a board member who’s a lightning rod and anything she does is questioned.” But is it asking too much to make sure that trips have some benefit to the board and to public schools, given that taxpayers are footing the bills? One of Morris’ planned trips will occur after her last board meeting, and the other will examine such pressing educational issues as how mental-health screening affects gun-ownership rights.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
In a Legislature with too few women members, state Sen. Kay O’Connor, R-Olathe, has stood out for her unflinching willingness to voice her views and vote accordingly. But that’s about the nicest thing many Kansans can say about O’Connor, who announced this week that she’s resigning from the Senate after her humiliating 46 percent loss to Ron Thornburgh in last month’s GOP primary for secretary of state. Her political obituary should include her denial that she ever called into question the value of women’s suffrage in 2001.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
