Daily Archives: Feb. 25, 2007

Open thread

Feb. 25, 20071:06 a.m.

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Open thread | Comments (27)

Who wins in Iraq? Hint: It’s not us

Feb. 25, 20071:05 a.m.

Here are the top 10 winners in Iraq, according to the current issue of Foreign Policy magazine:
No. 10. Israel. The war in Iraq has eliminated some of Israel’s enemies, although it has created new ones.
No. 9. Old Europe. It told us “don’t do it,” but we wouldn’t listen. Now Europe is sitting back and saying “told you so.”
No. 8. United Nations. Now we’re asking, “How does that diplomacy thing work?”
No. 7. The price of oil. Middle East oil barons are enjoying record-setting oil proceeds.
No. 6. Arab dictators. All of a sudden, those guys don’t look so bad.
No. 5. China. While the United States’ attention is focused elsewhere, China’s power keeps growing and growing.
No. 4. Samuel Huntington, conservative political scientist, Harvard University professor and author of “The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order.”
No. 3. Al-Qaida. The war in Iraq has been a boon to its publicity and recruitment efforts.
No. 2. Muqtada al-Sadr, radical Shiite cleric who has gained power since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
And the No. 1 winner of the war in Iraq: Iran.
Posted by Patrice Hein

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Iraq | Comments (151)

Where candidates stand on Iraq

Feb. 25, 20071:04 a.m.

It’s not new information, but the New York Times has a chart of all the presidential candidates (which no longer include Tom Vilsack) and their positions on the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the troop surge and whether to withdraw. For example, here is Sam Brownback’s withdrawal position, such as it is: “While we cannot make a precipitous withdrawal, we can transfer more security responsibility to the Iraqis and reduce the threat to American troops.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Presidential race | Comments (15)

Donors stating a preference in mayor’s race

Feb. 25, 20071:03 a.m.

The initial lists of donations made since the Wichita mayoral field was set confirm the dissatisfaction that many in the business community reportedly feel about Mayor Carlos Mayans’ four-year record. Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 15, challenger Carl Brewer (in photo) collected $33,140 in contributions (excluding $40,000 of his own money), compared with Mayans’ $8,750. Brewer had 98 donors; Mayans had 26 in the same period. Both had high-profile business names, but Brewer got the lion’s share of heavyweights.
Of course, campaign contributions can add up differently than votes. All voters should make their voice heard in Tuesday’s primary, which also will narrow the April 3 general election ballot choices in two Wichita school board races and three Wichita City Council districts.
Posted by Rhonda Holman

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Wichita government | Comments (18)

McCain would be ‘right president for these times’

Feb. 25, 20071:01 a.m.

John McCain’s conservative credentials got a boost with the endorsement of former Texas senator and presidential candidate Phil Gramm. Though Gramm wrote in a Wall Street Journal commentary that he has disagreed with McCain on various issues, he thinks the Arizona senator would be “the right president for these times.” The key issues for Graham were McCain’s fiscal conservatism, his willingness to tackle entitlement reform, his support of free trade and his authority to “thwart enemies, unite friends and win peace.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Presidential race | Comments (24)

Buchanan’s reality check continues

Feb. 25, 20071:00 a.m.

At a time when local governments’ reliance on consultants was under scrutiny, Sedgwick County Manager Bill Buchanan courted trouble by tapping a consultant to help county staff negotiate a deal with preferred arena management company SMG, then by taking three weeks to tell county commissioners about the small-dollar consultant deal. Now, commissioners want to review and possibly revise the county’s purchasing, hiring and consulting policies. “It’s clear to me the commission needs a lot more information up front,” Buchanan said. He might have said “this commission” — because the rethinking about what has been business as usual at the county seems to be emanating mostly from new Commissioner Gwen Welshimer.

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Sedgwick County | Comments (10)