Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said this week that he would send troops into Pakistan if need be to hunt down al-Qaida head Osama bin Laden and his cohorts.
"If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf will not act, we will," he vowed.
Will the tough talk reassure voters unsure of Obama’s mettle and judgment as a war president? Or will it give new ammunition to Hillary Clinton’s recent charge that Obama is "naive" and "irresponsible" on foreign affairs, given the fragile political balance in Pakistan — a nuclear country?
Obama’s statement does highlight the fact that the perpetrator of 9/11 is still at large and planning new attacks six years after the event.
Why wouldn’t we want to take him out if we had the chance?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Our editorial today raises a question that many people have been asking: Why don’t the Prairie Rose Wranglers start performing at Old Cowtown Museum? The Wranglers need a venue, because the Prairie Rose ranch is being auctioned off as part of Wild West World bankruptcy. And Old Cowtown needs visitors and, frankly, would provide a more interesting and convenient setting than the ranch near Benton. Seems like a great fit.
Cowtown officials haven’t seemed particularly enthusiastic, noting that their visitor center isn’t big enough, and worrying that raising money for another building might siphon away funds needed for Cowtown operations. But what about contracting with a private operator to finance, build and operate the facility, which wouldn’t need to be fancy? As successful as the Prairie Rose was, I would think there would be several takers.
What do you bloggers think?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
The Aug. 7 vote on whether to allow a casino in Sedgwick County could be a toss up. A new KWCH-Channel 12 Eyewitness News/Wichita Eagle poll shows that 50 percent of likely voters supporting a casino and 49 percent opposing it. If accurate, that means turnout will decide the election — and that likely favors the opponents, who have been much more organized and passionate than casino supporters.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., apologized in June for a campaign staffer who forwarded an e-mail questioning fellow presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s Mormon religion. Now it is Brownback who has had his faith challenged. A church pastor who supports former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee sent a letter that, according to the Catholic League, urged evangelicals in Iowa to vote for Huckabee and that disparaged Brownback’s Roman Catholic faith. The supporter has now apologized and said that if Huckabee drops out of the race, he would support Brownback.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
“My heart has always been with my good friend John McCain,” former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole said on a political talk show last weekend when asked who would be the strongest GOP presidential candidate. “But it’s just not happening. The buzz is gone. I mean, he’s a great guy and thought he — he sticks to his guns. Whether it’s campaign finance reform, which has cost him some people, and whether it’s immigration, where I think he was on the right trackæ.æ.æ. . Or whether it’s his support for the war. They are all very principled, but I don’t know how he puts it all back together.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
