The Watcher's Council is a group of some of the most incisive blogs in the`sphere. Every week, the members nominate two posts each, one of their own and one from outside the group for consideration by the whole Council.
A full list of entries, including some excellent non-Council ones can be found here.
So, let's see what we have this week:
Joshuapundit - The Afghanistan Blues - All during the campaign, Barack Obama got considerable mileage out of his claim that Iraq was a 'distraction' and that the Bush Administration 'took it's eye off the ball' and refused to fight the real war - in Afghanistan. With Iraq settling down, president -elect Obama will likely get his chance to fight that 'real war' in Afghanistan, but from what I see he unfortunately continues to be misguided as to the nature of what that real war actually consists of, and risks significant folly because of it.
Rhymes With Right - Intolerant Gays Attacking Religion - Greg notes the bigotry and intolerance practiced by those who claim to be seeking it for themselves.
The Provocateur - The Coming Mortgage Class War - Mike makes an excellent point in his piece this week, which concerns the push for 'loan modifications' - changing the interest rates, terms and even the amount owed for those people who irresponsibly took out loans they knew they couldn't afford hoping to flip properties at a higher price to the next sucker, or who got into the homes with little or nothing down, or who used their homes like ATMS and spent their equity to finance a lifestyle beyond their means.
He uses his father as an example of what will become an increasingly resentful silent majority of Americans who responsibly paid their bills, lived within their means and as a consequence are going to end up paying the tab for others who didn't.
The Colossus of Rhodey - Oh, the musical memories … - Hube reflects on his tour of Europe at 17 with a jazz band. Being on tour with a hot band is da bizness, isn't it Hube? Someday, we'll have to swap a few road stories.
Bookworm Room - Perpetually Selfish Anger and Victimhood - Ms. Bookworm notes that the Arab psyche is fraught with a perpetual sense of victimhood, hatred, and tribalism. And yes, it's in the Qu'ran and the Hadiths, which were designed to appeal to a certain select audience after all.
The Razor - COIN of the Realm - Scott reflects on the counter insurgency strategy used in Iraq and reflects on it's possible applications elsewhere.
Soccer Dad - Names will never hurt me - the double standard - This week, Soccer Dad compares the media mini-firestorm over remarks made Rahm Emmanuel's father with the total crickets on Palestinian intolerance for Jews and Israelis.
The Glittering Eye - Winners and Losers - This week Dave Schuler, with the massive bailouts in mind reminds us about a fundamental fact of capitalism...that there will be winners and losers and to over subsidize the losers is to penalize the winners.
Mere Rhetoric - Detente In Our Time - Obama Prepares To Sell Out Poland In The Face Of Russian Aggression. Again. (Plus: By The Way, Missile Defense Works) - Omri notes that president-elect Obama is likely to grease out from under one of our best allies in Europe to appease Russia.
The problem with the Cold War ( and this can be laid squarely at the feet of President George HW Bush) is that while we defeated the Soviet Union, we did absolutely nothing to see to it that they wouldn't become a threat to us again..like demanding they dismantle ( or at least severely downgrade) their nuclear arsenal in exchange for the aid they so desperately needed from us.
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