Daily Archives: May 12, 2007

Open thread

May 12, 20071:04 a.m.

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Open thread | Comments (35)

Open thread on local issues

May 12, 20071:03 a.m.

One of you bloggers e-mailed and suggested that we occasionally reserve an open thread for local issues. Here goes.

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Open thread | Comments (9)

More finger-pointing on Iraq

May 12, 20071:02 a.m.

Former Pentagon policy adviser Richard N. Perle says that former CIA Director George Tenet is trying to blame “the nefarious influence of the vice president and a cabal of neoconservative intellectuals” (of which Perle was one) for the decision to remove Saddam Hussein. Perle blames Tenet and the CIA for faulty intelligence that was presented as fact. “But the greatest intelligence failure of the past two decades was the CIA’s failure to understand and sound an alarm at the rise of jihadist fundamentalism,” Perle wrote. “It is Wahhabi extremism and the call to holy war against infidels that gave us the perpetrators of Sept. 11 and much of the terrorism that has followed.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Iraq | Comments (25)

Obama got carried away on tornado death toll

May 12, 20071:01 a.m.

As gaffes go, it was sizable: Barack Obama told a Tuesday campaign crowd in Virginia, “In case you missed it, this week, there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died — an entire town destroyed,” going on to second Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ unhappiness about how much National Guard equipment is in Iraq. A few minutes later, he appeared to realize his overstatement, saying, “There are going to be times when I get tired. There are going to be times when I get weary. There are going to be times when I make mistakes.” A spokesman later said Obama meant to say “at least 10” deaths.
Posted by Rhonda Holman

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Presidential race | Comments (42)

Just what we all need — a good alibi

May 12, 20071:00 a.m.

Those who want to skip work without using up valuable vacation time or perhaps cheat on a spouse sometimes have difficulty thinking up a good alibi. Never fear, the Alibi Network is just a mouse-click away.
The 2-year-old Illinois-based company says it “invents, creates and provides excuses and alibis for people who want to justify their absence.” Business has been so brisk that the company has plans for opening three European offices and will offer excuses in several languages.
While the company requires customers to sign disclaimers and says it will not knowingly participate in illegal activity, the purpose is clear: to aid people in deceitful actions. Does this rank right down there with Web sites that sell essays, research papers and reports to lazy students?
Posted by Patrice Hein

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under American life | Comments (11)