Friday Afternoon Roundup

On this great Friday, the 25th Anniversary of the First Inauguration of the late, great Ronald Reagan, there are a few items that have caught my attention:

• The Inclusion of Cuba in the World Baseball Classic. I have commented on this in my other blog, The Spanish Phrase of the Day, and it is an issue with clear policy implications. I think this decision went the right way.
• France's pledge to use nuclear weapons on states that supported terrorism on French soil. This is interesting news, and it exposes an issue worth consideration. I mentioned in a previous post that one reason to attack Iraq prior to its attainment of nuclear weapons was our loss of true nuclear deterrence- that the U.S. would not have the guts to retaliate in kind if it meant the death of many civilians. This is why smaller nukes may be an important part of our arsenal, and seem to be something the French have adopted. Interesting bit of strutting by the French. I'm not sure if they'd back it up.
• This interview between Jim Lehrer and Harry Reid is amazing! Reid is the biggest disappointment I have had in some time. When he replaced Daschle, I thought his religious background might moderate his liberalism. I was 100% wrong on that front. Go the this transcript and read the section entitled Supreme Court confirmation hearings. Just read it. What a joke!
• I read this article by Rep. Roy Blunt, candidate for Majority Leader of the House. I was unimpressed. My response is, "Yeah Roy, but what have you done for me lately?" I want someone more detached from the spending ways of ol' DeLay.
• Peggy Noonan has a roundup of her own, on the state of the GOP and the mainstream media.
• Finally, check out this devastating look at the Iran Situation on Winds of Change. You have to read the whole thing. It is really something to think about.