Daily Archives: Nov. 11, 2006

Open thread

Nov. 11, 20061:05 a.m.

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Open thread | Comments (116)

Honor veterans by caring for them

Nov. 11, 20061:04 a.m.

In observance of Veterans Day, here is a powerful and moving photo we thought we’d share with WE Bloggers.
The image speaks for itself about a sacrifice that spans generations.
Our editorial on today’s Opinion page calls for better community treatment of homeless veterans.
James Geary, a homeless man, was found dead of heat exposure in a downtown park last summer.
Turns out Geary was an honorably discharged veteran of the Vietnam War, where he served in combat in 1967-68.
People should think about that the next time they’re tempted to judge a ragged figure sleeping under a bridge or in a car.
About 1 in 3 homeless men are veterans, and many suffer from addictions and combat-related mental health problems.
They served their country. It’s time to better serve them.
Posted by Randy Scholfield

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Homeless | Comments (45)

Chalabi still pointing fingers

Nov. 11, 20061:03 a.m.

Ahmad Chalabi, who had been anointed by the United States before the invasion to lead postwar Iraq, is now without a job — though not short of money — and spurned by his former Pentagon and Capitol Hill buddies, including Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. Not surprisingly, Chalabi blames U.S. officials, especially former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, for the failures in Iraq.
“The Pentagon guys chickened out,” Chalabi said in a long profile in this week’s New York Times Magazine. He argues that America needed to immediately step out of the way after the invasion and let the Iraqis take charge. He contends that a new Iraqi government could have acted quickly and harshly to regain control of the country.
‚”There would have been no insurgency,” he said. “We would have had electricity. The Americans screwed it up.”
Though America did botched the transition, Chalabi’s hindsight is filled with holes, as was the prewar intelligence that he peddled. As the Times piece noted:
‚”Chalabi is essentially arguing that a handful of Iraqi exiles, some of whom had not lived in the country in decades, could have put together a government and quelled the chaos that quickly engulfed the country after Hussein’s regime collapsed. They could have done this, presumably, without an army (which most wanted to dissolve) and without a police force (which was riddled with Baathists).”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Iraq | Comments (13)

Last campaign for No. 43 and ‘the architect’

Nov. 11, 20061:02 a.m.

The guy President Bush calls “the architect” disagreed with the premise, but the New York Times noted that this midterm election campaign was the last hurrah for Bush and adviser Karl Rove. If you don’t count Tuesday, when Bush was not on the ballot, they won every campaign they ran together, since Bush’s first gubernatorial bid in Texas in 1994.
Posted by Rhonda Holman

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under U.S. politics | Comments (30)

Iowa’s governor launches a long-shot bid

Nov. 11, 20061:01 a.m.

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that the next president of the United States won’t be Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack.
While he’s the first Democrat to officially declare his candidacy, presidential nominations don’t have much to do with your place in line.
A poll of Democrats by Opinion Research Corp. rates Vilsack dead last in a field of 10 potential candidates. First and second, of course, are Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Third and fourth are Al Gore (sigh) and former Sen. John Edwards.
In Vilsack’s favor: He’s got good hair and he’s well-liked in Iowa, whose caucuses traditionally launch the nominating season.
Posted by Dave Knadler

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Presidential race | Comments (44)

Where are the election cops?

Nov. 11, 20061:00 a.m.

Several Wichita area candidates complained to The Eagle about having their yard signs stolen during the recent election season, and pointed fingers at their opponents — who were likely to return the finger-pointing.
There are always a few overzealous partisans who flout the rules. But the problem seemed pretty bad this election season.
Moreover, some major candidates, whose organizers should have known better (including Jim Barnett, Phill Kline and Todd Tiahrt), had rows of signs stuck illegally in medians and on corners.
Both parties were guilty of signage infractions.
A thought: Why can’t the Sedgwick County Election Office hire a few people, especially on the weekend before the election, to aggressively police signs and respond to infractions and dirty tricks?
What do bloggers think? Should election officials take sign scofflaws more seriously?
Posted by Randy Scholfield

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Voting | Comments (22)