Lieberman- The Only Sane Democrat?

Senator Joseph Lieberman has written a very persuasive article in today's Wall Street Journal. He argues that the President and the armed forces need time to put their strategy in place in Iraq:

But we must not make another terrible mistake now. Many of the worst errors in Iraq arose precisely because the Bush administration best-cased what would happen after Saddam was overthrown. Now many opponents of the war are making the very same best-case mistake--assuming we can pull back in the midst of a critical battle with impunity, even arguing that our retreat will reduce the terrorism and sectarian violence in Iraq.

In fact, halting the current security operation at midpoint, as virtually all of the congressional proposals seek to do, would have devastating consequences. It would put thousands of American troops already deployed in the heart of Baghdad in even greater danger--forced to choose between trying to hold their position without the required reinforcements or, more likely, abandoning them outright. A precipitous pullout would leave a gaping security vacuum in its wake, which terrorists, insurgents, militias and Iran would rush to fill--probably resulting in a spiral of ethnic cleansing and slaughter on a scale as yet unseen in Iraq.

I appeal to my colleagues in Congress to step back and think carefully about what to do next. Instead of undermining Gen. Petraeus before he has been in Iraq for even a month, let us give him and his troops the time and support they need to succeed.

His logic is persuasive.

Hillary v. Obama Pt. 2

More commentary on the Hillary campaign from Mickey Kaus.

Powerline points out how Obama has taken the public high road.

Hillary v. Obama

The Hillary Clinton campaign has hit a bumpy patch following some direct statements by a former friend, music mogul David Geffen. Peggy Noonan looks at how this has impacted the Clinton candidacy, one that seemed destined to secure her party's nomination. You need to read her article and Bill Kristol's to get the background, but here's the significance of this kerfuffle:

...the outcome of the Geffen-Clinton episode is worthy of watching because it is going to determine whether it is remembered as the moment in the 2008 campaign when it became clear you are allowed to criticize Hillary--or as the moment it became clear you are not.

Kristol gives credit to the Obama camp for their handling of the incident. The Clintons seem to have stumbled. It is fun to watch, and it will be interesting to see the outcome.

Beneath the numbers

Austin Bay has some insights into the Troop Surge and what it really means, going beyond the numbers and looking at how it fits into the larger plan.

Check it out.

A few things

Actual weather data from Antarctica is not jiving with dire climate predictions.

Michael Barone hits two topics in this post, President Bush's political position and the seemingly early start of the Presidential campaign.

Read Michael Yon. His stuff is fresh from the Iraq battlefront and is important.

Former Senator Phil Gram is supporting John McCain. He makes a case, but I am unmoved.

California remains over-regulated, providing us another glimpse into government folly. Their plan to encourage the use of lower-polluting hybrids has led to a glut of same on the highways.

Romney Watch '08 Part XI

Fox News Watch is a program on the Fox News Channel that examines media coverage of events. They looked at how the media is covering Romney's faith. It's a good exploration.

I think the coverage has a purpose, and its meant to weaken Romney's candidacy.

Barack

This is a preview of the new conservative comedy show. It's a promising start.

Romney Watch '08 Part X

Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post has a good round-up of the media stories surrounding the '08 Presidential Primaries. He spends the first half looking at media coverage of Mitt Romney, and applies a critical eye to the way that his religion has become such a focal point:

The press seems downright excited at the prospect of the first female president.

The idea of the first black president has journalists all but giddy.

But the first Mormon president? Whoa! That's a different matter.

It's interesting. I don't buy much of the criticism that Romney has changed his tune on abortion and gay rights. I think his policy choices have changed, but his personal beliefs are probably fairly static. I also think abortion and gay rights are ultimately peripheral issues (or at least they should be).

Comedy the Right Way

I'm pleased by this news. The co-creator of 24, Joel Surnow, is teaming with Fox News Channel to create a conservative-leaning political satire show. It will debut this Sunday at 10 pm.

In one of the articles they mentioned a prospective sketch in which will target the trend of college students wearing Che Guevara t-shirts. I'd love to see that. Most of the idiots who wear those shirts have no idea what Che was really like. He was a true communist and revolutionary, as well as a ruthless killer. In the sketch they would sell his shirts next to shirts of Mao and Hitler. Sounds about right.

I hope the show is a success. It's on my DVR list.

Cooling on Warming

The release of the UN report on Climate Change has brought forth a flurry of publicity, not all of it in favor of that report's conclusions. The central areas of contention:

• There is no Global Warming- recent warming is evidence of normal climate cycles and is not true warming at all.
• Global Warming is not man-made, but occurs naturally, as in the release of CO2 into the atmosphere through biological processes.
• Global Warming is partially attributable to man, but man is not capable of reversing it owing to its cumulative effect and the added impact of natural biological processes.
• Man is almost entirely responsible for Global Warming. We are heading for catastrophe, but much of the danger can be prevented via radical measures.

I've followed the debate pretty steadily, and I probably fall somewhere in the 2nd bullet point. I fail to be swayed by the arguments of Gore and his ilk.

This article provides reasons to doubt Global Warming orthodoxy. I'm low on time, so hopefully I'll be able to follow up more on this in a minute.

More Yon In Iraq

Michael Yon continues to deliver some of the best reporting from Iraq. In one of his most recent dispatches he writes about an Iraqi man who likely saved many of his fellow Iraqis when he tackled a suicide bomber. He became a martyr for the right side and left a family behind.

He was interviewed by Glenn Reynolds and his wife for their weekly podcast. His insights are valuable and worth your time.

Tax Cuts = More Revenue

The Economist is probably my favorite magazine, and they examine the criticism of a liberal blogger that doesn't understand the economic impact of tax cuts:

His incredulity is not surprising, but it is wrong. The historical average for tax revenues as a percentage of GDP for the last 45 years—roughly, the span of the modern taxation era—is 18.2%; in 2006, the government collected 18.4% of GDP as tax revenues. Even if you throw out the Bush budgets of 2002-2006, the average rises only a tenth of a percent, meaning that America is still above its historical average.

They also look at the real impact of the budget deficit as a percentage of GDP, how it is not far off its historical levels, and how growing revenues will eventually offset it.

Tax-raisers (as opposed to tax-cutters) imagine that taxes and economic performance exist independent of each other. They believe that had Bush left taxes as they were that our tax receipts would be even higher, or that the economy would have continued to roll along. There is a great deal of evidence to the contrary, such as the massive increase in capital gains receipts, which says that lower taxes spurs more activity of every kind.