The White House reportedly is looking at a “surge” of 20,000 to 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, but former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Colin Powell cast doubts on the strategy: “I am not persuaded that another surge of troops into Baghdad for the purposes of suppressing this communitarian violence, this civil war, will work,” he said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
There aren’t enough troops to lock down Baghdad, Powell said, and the military already is overextended and “almost broken.”
He added: “There needs to be a clear mission that these additional troops are going to be performing.”
That’s the bottom line: Is a troop buildup, especially a short-term one, really going to make a difference in stabilizing Iraq? Or is this political window dressing whose main result will be more dead American soldiers?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Just as the six-party talks resumed about North Korea’s nukes, President Bush signed the long-sought nuclear deal with India Monday aimed at increasing high-tech trade and “paving the way for India to join the global effort to stop the spread of nuclear weapons,” Bush said. That sounds good, but the North Koreans, Iranians and other wannabe nuclear nations will see something else in the India deal — a reward for India’s refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty or submit to full international inspections. And disarmament proponents fear it will just lead to more nuclear proliferation.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Thanks to Robert Glasmann of Wichita for this week’s winning caption. We thought his approach, though not as humorous as some, was truly in the spirit of the season. It seemed appropriate to give recognition to the very wonderful Inter-faith Inn for their great work. Robert also requested we send the original artwork to Sam Muyskens which we did. Now on to some of the other submissions. Lots of entries this week. I always enjoy seeing the creative ways readers work their own pet peeves into the meaning of the cartoon. Bruce Cole of Wichita sent in the short and sweet: "You might try the downtown library." Similarly from Mike Richardson: "All filled up with rich wise men. Try the library." From Karen Wallace of Wichita came: "We have standards. No public breast-feeding." And here comes the topic that was foremost on a lot of entrants’ minds. John Regier of Hesston sent: "Sorry, folks, but the Bethlehem Inn has been condemned by the village council and will be razed to make space for the new arena." Wichita’s Brad Marshall submitted: "Normally I’d let you stay in the stable, but it was demolished to make room for arena parking." Wichita’s Alvin Otter took a wider swipe with: "Sorry. We were going to expand but had to do the arena, Waterwalk, bridges at the Keeper of the Plains, Exploration Place, etc., etc…" Dee Howe, way out in Russell, had a Wichita neighborhood in mind: "Sorry. We’re full of folks from the Kellogg and Oliver area that’s now dominated by the new Walmart." Off in a different direction, Belle Plaine’s Richard Julius sent this: "There won’t be a vacancy until the borders are secured!" And Barney Nordmeyer of Hamilton took it a step farther: "No, buddy, the U. S. Border is one mile north. Border patrol will help you cross, give you food, water, shelter, spending money, education, a good paying tax-free job and the right to vote." Bill Zimmer of Wichita was the only one to go in this direction: "Sorry, Mr. Cheney, but as a member of the far right, I can’t permit a single mother to stay here. Perhaps W and Laura have an extra room." Lynn Sherwood of Derby said: "It’s Bush’s fault." And we end with another caption from good ole Bruce Cole: "Don’t be offended. We fill up quickly when the Shockers come to town."
Posted by Richard Crowson
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius told The Eagle editorial board recently that she’s not inclined to block the proposed coal-fired power complex near Holcomb. She said that “it is a very difficult issue to tackle on a state-by-state basis, because just having a policy in Kansas does not impact what happens in Oklahoma, Colorado, Missouri, which affects our air or our citizens’ health. It will affect our economy, but not necessarily improve health quality.”
But a group of eight states, including six in the Northeast, would beg to differ — Kansas’ policy very much has an impact on the bigger environmental picture, they noted in a statement last week opposing the new plants. They pointed out that the estimated 15.4 million tons of carbon dioxide pumped out every year by the Holcomb plant would negate the 12 million tons of CO2 that eight northeastern states hope to be removing from the atmosphere by 2020. Colorado opposition is building, too, based on a projected 64 percent rate hike in the next five years to pay for the plants.
Seems the issue might be more interconnected than Sebelius thought. Where’s our regional global warming compact?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
The White House has found an excellent place to start to work with the new Congress — on stamping out the use of earmarks, the home-state spending items that lawmakers increasingly slip into legislation. Many of these projects, including for south-central Kansas, are fiscally sound. But if so, they can and should be proposed and debated in the daylight, “to allow people to have full confidence that … their money is being spent in a way that reflects deliberation by members of Congress,” said White House press secretary Tony Snow. Congress’ new leaders have sounded a similar theme, so there is reason for optimism. But cutting pork is harder than promising to cut pork.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Gary Kleypas, the first of the 11 men to be sent to Kansas’ death row under the state’s 12-year-old revived death penalty, recently was cleared by the Kansas Supreme Court for another sentencing hearing, meaning execution remains a possibility. Meanwhile, capital punishment continues to slide out of favor with some judges and, to a much lesser extent, the American public; the 53 executions in the nation this year were the fewest in a decade. A federal judge ruled Friday that California’s method of lethal injection risks being cruel and unusual punishment. Last month, a federal judge declared Missouri’s means of lethal injection to be unconstitutional. And Florida Gov. Jeb Bush suspended all executions Friday after it took 34 minutes and two doses to execute a prisoner earlier in the week.
Could Sen Sam Brownback, R-Kan., who has lost his enthusiasm for capital punishment except in the worst cases, be right in step with the American people on this issue?
Posted by Rhonda Holman
