In a recent commentary in the Wall Street Journal, author Scott Turow (in photo) offered a novel idea about resolving the ongoing debate over how long to keep U.S. troops in Iraq: “Why don’t we ask the people of Iraq what they think?”
He pointed out that “if the remaining rationale for our presence in Iraq hinges on our commitment to democracy there, what possible excuse can we have for not letting the Iraqis make the ultimate choice about our occupation? If a solid majority throughout the country wants us out, then we can leave knowing that we are not deserting a people eager for our presence.”
He proposed a national plebiscite to determine whether Iraqis want us to stay for the long haul or to leave over the near term. Polls indicate a large majority of Iraqis want us gone. If true, why not honor their wishes, realizing that the Iraqis will and should have the largest say in the future direction of their country?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
The realist talk of the Iraq Study Group report inspired more over the weekend.
Weary of seeing U.S. troops die for an unclear cause, Sen. Gordon Smith (in photo), R-Ore., explained his startling change of heart on Iraq this way on ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos”: “The American people are not quitters but they’re not fools either, and they will not long follow a strategy that leads to defeat.”
Meanwhile, on “Fox News Sunday,” our own Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., newly put some distance between himself and the White House on the war, talking up a more aggressive regional diplomacy and sounding impatient with the sight of our troops caught up in sectarian violence: “I think it is really time for us to engage a new strategy. I hope the president is going to lay that out. And I think he’s got somewhat of a blueprint here in this Baker-Hamilton report.” He added: “I’m not jumping ship. I just think it’s time that we really put pressure on the situation.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
The old question of whether Sen. Sam Brownback flip-flopped on abortion came up again last week. During a teleconference Thursday, Brownback said that he has always been pro-life. But that’s not how many people remember it. Even state GOP chairman Tim Shallenburger said that Brownback was not pro-life when he was elected to Congress in 1994. It wasn’t until Brownback ran for the Senate in 1996, and faced a moderate in the GOP primary, that he became identified as a social conservative, Shallenburger told the Lawrence Journal-World.
Now Brownback is a leading champion on life issues, including stem cell research, so does the past matter? It does in that as a likely presidential candidate, Brownback can expect more scrutiny and skepticism about whether his shift to the right was motivated by conversion or by political calculation.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
It’s been interesting to ask different politicians to interpret the past election results. Most conservatives have attributed their big defeats to flaws with specific candidates or strategic mistakes, not to a moderate shift in the state. Does Gov. Kathleen Sebelius think there has been a move to the middle? “In Kansas, there’s no question,” she told me. “Whether it was in the primary, with legislators and school board members, or again in the general election, there was kind of a rejection of the very conservative fringe and moving more to the center.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Some bloggers asked in an earlier thread what WE Blog’s traffic volume is now, and whether we could have another meet-up. In November, our page views were 180,218. I believe the last number I reported was 161,127 in September. As for another meet-up, we’ve been looking at possibly doing one in January. If so, should we host it again at The Eagle building?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
There are interesting education stats in this Washington Post article, taken from the 2006 Condition of Education report published by the U.S. Department of Education. Some examples:
The percentage of children ages 3 to 5 who attended early childhood care and education programs increased from 53 percent in 1991 to 60 percent in 1999. It then decreased to 57 percent in 2005.
Between 1972 and 2004, the percentage of racial or ethnic minority students enrolled in the nation’s public schools increased from 22 percent to 43 percent, primarily because of growth in Hispanic enrollment.
Total expenditures per student increased 23 percent in constant dollars, from $7,847 to $9,630 between the 1995-96 and 2002-03 school years.
From 1972 to 2004, the rate at which high school graduates enrolled in college in the fall immediately after high school increased from 49 percent to 67 percent.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
