Watcher's Council Nominations, 8/29/07

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


Do take the time and check out the non-Council links..they are always rewarding.


Here's this week's Council lineup:

1. JOSHUAPUNDIT : Iraq As Vietnam...Or Vice Versa President Bush invoked comparisons between the way `elected officials' conducted themselves during the Vietnam war and during our war in Iraq in a speech to the Kansas City VFW, and the proverbial fit hit the shan as Democrats denounced him for invoking something they'd increasingly like to forget...especially since some of the same players with blood on their hands from that shameful time are still in congress.

Of course, as I point out, there are other similarities in the war in Iraq with Vietnam that the President chose not to mention....and I only hope that he's absorbed those lessons from history as well, as is prepared to make sure history doesn't repeat itself.


2. Done With Mirrors: What, Do You Think? Callimachus uses lefty blogger Glen Greenwald as an example to make the point that Greenwald and people of his ilk can be defined most accurately not by what they claim they are, but by what they are against.


3. Soccer Dad: Separate But Unequal Soccer Dad compares two schools...the Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn, NY with Ben Gamla Charter School in Florida. Both are charter schools and as such receive public money.

The misnamed Gibran school (Khalil Gibran was a Lebanese Christian and pacifist) is designed to be Islamist in origin, by the admission of its original principal, Debbie Almontaser. "The school won't shy away from sensitive topics such as colonialism and the Israeli-Palestinian crisis," she was quoted as saying and the school will "incorporate the Arabic language and Islamic culture."

The Ben Gamla School is run by an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi, will serve kosher meals and teach Hebrew, and has submitted two curiculems to the Broward County School board to show that it is attempting to abide by the regulations for non-secular studies.

While Soccer Dad focuses on the fact that one school has received a relative pass from officialdom while the other has been harassed, I'll pose a more basic question: leaving aside the question of whether public monies should be used for schools of this nature, which school is more likely to indoctrinate and radicalize its students and thus be more of a danger to the US?



4. The Glittering Eye : They Don't Understand the Incentives (Updated) This week, The Glittering Eye's Dave Schuler focuses on the Maliki government and why it's acting as it does. I totally agree with him..these corrupt, tribalist Iran friendly thugs should never have been allowed to take power.

Our military victories in Iraq will not serve the purpose they should in this war unless we deal with the political question...and/or deal decisively with Iran.

5. Bookworm Room: The New Conspiracy Theorists Ms. Bookworm looks at Leftist ideologue Naomi Wolf then and now and makes some pungent observations on the Angry Left's conspiracy theorists.

6. Rhymes With Right:Local Blogger, Democrat Leader, Urges Jasper-Style Truck-Drag of Jewish Republican
The local Democrat leader is one John Cobarruvias, and the Republican in question is former White House spokes person Ari Fleischer.

Greg wants to know whether Texas Democrats who are close associates of Cobarruvias like Congressman Nick Lampson and senate wannabe Rick Noriega are going to distance themselves from these foul, racist remarks. I can almost guarantee you they won't.

Y'see Greg, as liberal San Francisco Supervisor Mark Leno and Assemblywoman Carole Migden found out, Jews are `more assailable' these days. And Lampson and Noriega are much more interested in power than in right or wrong.


7.Colossus of Rhodey: "Sanctuary" Cities Hube writes on another aspect of the unfortunate Newark killings and wonders whether Newark's status as a sanctuary city for illegal aliens had something to do with it...ya think?

8. Cheat Seeking Missiles: Lotsa Dead Terrorists Laer writes about a simple truth of the Iraq war that's often ignored..that our warriors have sent a lot of jihadis to meet Allah, and that's a very good thing.

9. Victor Davis Hansen - Why We Must Study War at Okie on the LamThis week, Okie uses a piece by classicist Victor Hansen Davis as a takeoff point for an examination of why the study of war and military history is an absolute necessity.

If nothing else, studying war and military history enables us to save a lot of lives by nipping certain situations in the bud before they become overtly costly in terms of human life...a point I tried to make in my own piece this week.

10. Right Wing Nuthouse: Jesus Lord, Are They All Hypocritical Bastards? Rick's piece this week deals with the Larry Craig scandal, something I won't dignify the pages of this site by examining.

Both Rick and Edwonk have interesting takes on this, for those of you who want one.

I will say this, though....we empower the minions of the dinosaur media by empowering them. Just once,I'd like to see a politician tell these jackals `Yeah, I did it...so what? You've got nothing better to do than to peep at keyholes and talk about my sex life?'

11.The Education Wonks: Washington Watch : Another Hypocrite Exposed EdWonk also looks at the Larry Craig incident...please see my comments above.


12. Big Lizards: NYT: Analogies Are Meaningless (Unless They Favor the Left) Daffyd also writes about President Bush's Iraq/Vietnam analogy, focusing on the fallout on the president's remarks by the left...

That's this week's lineup..enjoy