A new White House reporton Iraq shows mixed results, with some progress in meeting about half of 18 benchmarks set by Congress. President Bush called for more time, saying in a press conference today that by September, "we hope to see further improvement in the positive areas and further improvement in the negative areas."
But Bush’s optimism wasn’t shared by CIA Director Michael Hayden when he met with the Iraq Study Group last November, reported Bob Woodward of the Washington Post. Hayden said then that "the inability of the government to govern seems irreversible" and that he could not "point to any milestone or checkpoint where we can turn this thing around."
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
According to top intelligence officials, al-Qaida has regroupedin the border area of Pakistan and is now at the same level of operational strength it was prior to the Sept. 11 attacks. Maybe that’s why Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff referred this week to a "gut feeling" that al-Qaida was poised to strike again.
President Bush said at a news conference today that al-Qaida has been hurt by his war on terrorism and is "weaker today than they would have been" otherwise. But Bush’s anti-terrorism strategy has bogged U.S. forces down in Iraq and Afghanistan, allowing Osama bin Laden and those who attacked us on Sept. 11 a safe haven from which to plan and launch new attacks.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Sedgwick County commissioners took a noticeable step back from gaming this week when they called off a request for proposals for the Kansas Coliseum that focused exclusively on casino projects. With an anti-casino campaign gearing up, it appears commissioners are feeling political heat and nervous about being identified as pro-gaming.
At any rate, it makes sense to get other proposals about the future of the Coliseum site. As Commissioner Tim Norton said, "We’ve kind of gotten off on gaming, but we need to think about other options."
Posted by Randy Scholfield
A House Appropriations Committee vote today pits a growing number of mayors and law enforcement agencies against the gun lobby. At the center of the controversy is the 2003 Tiahrt amendment, which the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has interpreted as preventing it from giving local law enforcement agencies broad access to federal gun crime data.
Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, has acknowledged problems with how the ATF has used the amendment to withhold data. Revisions in this year’s language, he says, correct the problem. But New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his coalition want the amendment killed. He called today’s vote a test of the new Democratic-controlled Congress: “Are they going to continue the old line — politics as usual, pandering to a handful of special interest groups? Or are they going to do what’s right?”
On gun issues, neither party has shown much stomach for a fight with the National Rifle Association, even when public safety is at stake. A Senate appropriations vote last month actually strengthened the Tiahrt amendment restrictions.
Today’s showdown will be closely watched. Don’t be surprised if the vote upholds politics as usual.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
In 2004, it seemed like nearly every Republican and Democratic politician — President Bush included — wanted to share Sen. John McCain’s limelight. And going into the long run-up to the 2008 election, the Arizona Republican was a clear front-runner. How dramatic then that his campaign is now struggling badly. Fundraising results have been poor, and his top aides jumped from the Straight Talk Express bus this week. Is most of the decline because of McCain’s support of the war in Iraq and comprehensive immigration reform? Or has the public just tired of him?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
“Funny how the Root Causes crowd becomes so incurious about the root causes of crime when the suspects are anti-military nutballs and antiwar protesters,” columnist Michelle Malkin wrote. She was referring to the lack of media coverage of the shooting of an Air Force airman in New Jersey by a crazed gunman who reportedly was angry at the U.S. government. Malkin wrote: “What if a soldier had attempted to murder a peace activist over the holidays in order to ‘make a statement’? The (New York) Times would be holding front-page vigil, and Katie Couric’s brow would be furrowed for a week.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee