President Bush mentioned al-Qaida 27 times in a Wednesday speech about Iraq, in contexts such as: "The same bunch that is causing havoc in Iraq were the ones who came and murdered our citizens." He isn’t wrong, but just last month, notes the Washington Post, the Pentagon’s inspector general reported, as so many others have, that al-Qaida had no ties to Iraq before the war began in March 2003.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Because all Republican presidential hopefuls these days want to cast themselves as reincarnations of Ronald Reagan, the setting for tonight’s first 2008 GOP debatepromises to fuel the mimicry: the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., with Nancy Reagan looking on. Republican strategist Rich Galen said front-runners Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney should view this as "batting practice" and avoid injury. Further back in the 10-pack, Sam Brownback had better swing for the fences if he has any hope of moving up in the polls. The fun starts at 7 p.m. our time on MSNBC (cable Channel 24 in Wichita).
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Here’s an amusing look at New York Times columnist and Iraq war booster Tom Friedman’s Iraq predictions, which frame a series of six- to nine-month time periods, each of which supposedly will prove “decisive.”
The administration and pro-Iraq war pundits have trafficked heavily in these Friedman Units of time and key “turning points,” and they’re losing their reassuring effect.
If we hear in September, “We’ll know in the next six months whether we’ve turned the corner,” don’t buy it.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
The Sedgwick County Commission is rightly concerned about the high level of jail use and growing costs. And it may be correct that the way to get cities to be more mindful about whom they send to jail and for how long is to charge them. But it’s unfortunate that it has come to that. The $2.09 per hour fee to house inmates on municipal charges that the commission approved Wednesday will likely result in a lawsuit and a lot of resentment.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
There are some interesting excerpts from Ronald Reagan’s diary in Howard Kurtz’s column in the Washington Post. More excerpts are being published next month in Vanity Fair, and a book about the diaries is due out this month. The diaries cover Reagan’s eight years in the White House and discuss both administration and family problems.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Kudos to local state lawmakers for obtaining $4.75 million in state funding for Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research. The money is a wise investment in a program with a proven economic development track record. Every dollar the state has invested in the institute’s research has leveraged $11.60 in federal and industry investment, according to the university. As Rep. Jason Watkins, R-Wichita, noted, “It directly leads to jobs.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., is a good choice to lead the Kansas delegation during the BIO International Convention, which runs Sunday through Wednesday in Boston. Roberts’ background on defense, agriculture and health care will help draw attention to Kansas at this international convention. Roberts also has long been a champion of increasing biotechnology and bioscience work in Kansas.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
