Watcher's Council Nominations 4/25/07

Every week, the Watcher's Council members nominate two posts each, one from the Council members and one from outside for consideration by the whole Council. The complete list of this week's Council nominations can be found at the site of our fearless leader, Watcher of Weasels


OK, here's this week's Council lineup:

1. J O S H U A P U N D I T: On winners and losers - Harry Reid and defeatism This week, I write about the remarks and actions of the Senate majority leader in informing the press that the Iraq War is `lost' and bragging that he `told Bush what he needed to hear, not what he wanted to hear'.

While I've been very critical of how the Bush Administration has mismanaged the war(of which Iraq is just one front) to say something like this loudly and publicly when our troops are under fire in the field is unconscionable. Not only that, but it is singularly gutless. As I wrote, if Reid, Pelosi and their colleagues truly believe this, they have a responsibility to defund the war immediately...and take the political fallout that goes with it. Instead, they are playing politics with the lives of far braver men and women, because they like the idea of our military being humiliated and defeated because people like Reid are reliving their glory days of the Vietnam era, and pave the way for a return to the White House.

I follow the news pretty closely and many Americans who are defending Reid's `truth' have no idea how this played in the Arab press and of course, with our enemies.

2. Done With Mirrors: Earth Day An intriging piece by Callimachus as he looks at Earth Day and the Global Warming controversy in his usual common sense way. Since the Earth has had an ice age roughly every ten thousand years, I think there's something to the theory he mentions that human activity has actually been staving it off.

And of course, as no one ever mentions, one of the ultimate sources of greenhouse gases is the CO2 exhalations of billions of humans every time they breathe.

3. Soccer Dad: Cohen must've got lost WAPO columnist Richard Cohen, who is, at least, ancestrally Jewish has long been a leftist critic of pretty much everything Israel does...and last year, he topped himself when he wrote a snivelling piece about how Israel was `a mistake.'

Soccer Dad examines a recent piece by Cohen in which he wonders why people single out Israel for such demonization. Could it be, just maybe, that some of these `anti-Zionist' Jew haters feel much more comfortable now about indulging in their racism because Leftist self-hating Jews like Richard Cohen and Tony Judt have provided them with cover? Ya think?

4. The Glittering Eye: One Day Has Passed This week, The Glittering Eye's Dave Schuler examines the hysterical calls for gun control in the wake of the Virginia tech shootings, and calls for some calm and common sense.

5. Right Wing Nut House : REID AND THE DEMS: COWARDLY, IMMORAL JELLYFISH Rick likewise examines Harry Reid and company, especially in terms of what he sees as their political strategy involved. Unlike me, he doesn't see Reid's remarks as unpatriotic, but we agree on the idea that if Reid and his fellow Democrats feel the war is lost, they have a moral obligation to stand on their principles and defund the war forthwith.

Of course, for them, that's not what the game is about, not by any means.



6. Rhymes With Right - The Problem With Political Speech Limitation Greg writes this week about McCain-Feingold and the First Amendment implications of limits on political spending.

7. The Colossus of Rhodey: Quota baseball Another interesting post on desegregation, as Hube fisks an article on the racial makeup of sports teams.

8. Presidential power and criminal terrorists: Bookworm Room Ms. Bookworm has a scintillating piece this week that reminds us of some history in how various President dealt with civil liberties in wartime. And frankly, next to FDR or Lincoln, Dubbyah has unfortunately been far too wishy washy on this subject.

The Constitution was never intended to be a suicide pact.


9. Eternity Road - Helots Francis also writes about the hoo-hah for strict gun control in the wake of the Virginia Tech killings. Interestingly, he compares the plight on unarmed citizenry to helots...Greek serfs with few if any rights.

10. Cheat Seeking Missiles: Kevin Granata: Virginia Tech Hero Laer also writes about the Virginia tech killings, and focuses on a hero of the tragedy, a teacher who was a military veteran and who died trying to confront the murderer physically. Had Mr. Granata been armed, lives would have been saved, undoubtedly.

11. Big Lizards: “Into Every Life, Some Reid Must Fall”Dafydd Ab Hugh likewise talks about Harry Reid and his questionable statements.

12. The Education Wonks: Merit-Based Success: James Calderwood EdWonk celebrates the acheivements of a Boy Scout who won all 122 merit badges available.

That's this week's lineup..enjoy!