Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 1918-2008

Oddly enough, I just started reading the GULAG Archipelago. If you've never read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, I wholeheartedly recommend it. The book is a powerful meditation on the relationship between the citizen and the state; between criminal and prisoner; guard and dissident. I've been entranced by the stark simplicity of prison camp literature since I first read Kolyma Tales, by Varlam Shalamov. Sitting here, well-fed and warm, it is difficult to express the value of reading literature written by people whose primary teaching was that everything in the world can betray you to suffering: the instruments of the state, friends, family, your own body and the ground you walk upon. It is difficult to reference their bitter struggle without sounding fatuous. Nevertheless, reading about the brief, fragile victories the zeks were able to snatch from their oppressors has lent me inexpressible support.

Terms too deep for me

I'm sorry, I haven't gotten to a place yet where I can worry about how Europeans will react to Barack Obama when (if) Barack Obama becomes president. This is apparently a disability that is not shared by the Times of London's op-ed page:

Some on the Left are getting their count-me-outs in already, realising that Mr Obama is, after all, a big-game hunter, a full-trousered American candidate. They, I think, are more realistic than those who manage on one day to laud the Democrat as not being a real politician, and on the next to praise him for his sensible left-trimming when seeking the party's nomination and his equally sensible centre-hugging once it was in the bag. I say the antis are more realistic because, eventually, we will hate or ridicule Mr Obama too - provided, of course, that he is elected and serves two full terms. (ToL)

Provided. That's a selective quote, of course, and the full editorial is a lot more supportive of Americans than we might deserve at this point from a European editorial page. But it just reminds me of all the second-guessing and pontification that we're engaging in over here--is Obama experienced enough, has he got what it takes, whatever that indefinable quality is. And the answer is that it's hard to say. There's no real preparation for the office of President of the United States; there can't be, because there are no other reasonably comparable jobs. Governor of a state? To make a quick and dirty calculation, roughly one-fiftieth the responsibility. Senator? One-hundredth. I admit that Barack Obama isn't a known quantity to me. All I know is that Barack Obama is as intelligent as we could hope for; that he is by all indications humble, and that he is not a Republican. In 2001, the Republican Party had the chance to make me a Republican voter and they blew it irretrievably through what I feel to be a misguided war of choice abroad, and a all too well directed war against civil liberties at home. John McCain, for all his touted maverick independence, is still very much a Republican. It took a lot of hard work to get me to the point where I am unconditionally willing to roll the dice with Barack Obama because the last eight years were so lacking in leadership except on those issues that made me less secure and less prosperous, but I'm there now.

That's some mighty fine strategic defense analysis there, James

"James Jay Carafano, a military expert at the Heritage Foundation, said he finds it refreshing that the Defense Department acknowledges that China and Russia are potential adversaries, but he said he believes the strategy is too heavy on battling extremism.

""It is overstating the case to say that extremist Islamic ideology is going to define the next 20 or 30 years," he said. "I think that's not helpful because you're sacrificing everything for this one fight. But it's a transition document. Either McCain or Obama could walk in the door and live with that document and do all kinds of things."" (WP)

Whereas, you know, losing this one fight will really bolster our strategic deterrence capability. If we can't win in Iraq and Afghanistan against insurgents who, while deadly, lack armor, air support, or any of the other support enjoyed by modern military forces, how the hell do you expect to deter Russia and China? A 40-page powerpoint briefing? I wish more of our so-called military experts would focus on winning the wars we're currently fighting, rather than future imaginary wars. To paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld, you go to war with the war you have, not the war you'd like to have.

That's some mighty fine police work there, Lou

From the Washington Post

The Bethesda teenager in whose home investigators found a cache of assault rifles and bombmaking materials was compiling a list of home addresses for teachers at his former high school, police said yesterday.

Police officials said it was unclear why Colin McKenzie-Gude, 18, was making the list of teachers from St. John's College High School, a private school in Northwest Washington from which he graduated this year.

I know that this comment was probably filtered through several layers of hearsay, and legal issues make the police coy. But the way it's presented, you want someone to say, "Now, if we just sit down, hold hands, and think hard enough, I'm sure we can figure out why a gun-toting teen would have been making a list of the home addresses of his teachers."

Selective amnesia

It's probably impossible to pretend that the last eight years of my life never happened, but maybe I can edit out some of the more mind-bogglingly improbable moments.

Trapped in a room with someone watching R. Kelly's trapped in the closet

Have you ever listened to six hours of the same song
Over and over? With no meter or verse, six hours of recitative gone wrong?
Forced rhymes and thuggery, overuse of the n-word,
Seems like it won some sort of award, shouldn't polish a turd
Base thumping through my skull, it's really loud
R. Kelly can't possibly be proud
Of producing trapped in the closet
And I'm trapped watching my wife watch trapped in the closet
She's really enjoying trapped in the closet
Keeps watching trapped in the cloooooset
So much goddamn trapped in the cloooooooooooset
Too much trapped in the clooooooooooooooooset
Please let it be over
But it's not over
It's never over
You should have gone to jail for this, R. Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelly.

Little late

Just back from a trip to balmy San Francisco (temp. 62 degrees Fahrenheit!). Passed the time on the 4th watching fireworks explode in the fog on a friend's roof, thinking about my hopes of joining the Army. I want to prove that I love liberty more than wealth, that I can answer the challenge laid down by our founders and pay the debt I owe to the veterans of the Revolution and the Civil War:

If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom — go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.

Samuel Adams, State House of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1 August 1776

I do like this city

Walking on 6th Avenue at 14th Street at 11:50pm, I hear and see three employees dancing around inside a closed Pinkberry, singing, "Engine engine number 9, on the New York transit line, if that train falls off the track, pick it up, pick it up, pick it up. . . ." It put a big smile on my face, and other passersby seemed to get a kick out of it, too.

The mind boggles

"I think Obama would be a disaster, and there's a lot of reasons," said Pollard, explaining the rumors he had heard about the candidate from friends he goes camping with. "I understand he's from Africa, and that the first thing he's going to do if he gets into office is bring his family over here, illegally. He's got that racist [pastor] who practically raised him, and then there's the Muslim thing. He's just not presidential material, if you ask me." (WP)

These people will doom us all. Not because they won't vote for Obama, but because they are idiots.

C'mon, New Yorker Magazine

I need some warning. Consider my recent train of thought on reading this article:

The Itch
Its mysterious power may be a clue to a new theory about brains and bodies.
by Atul Gawande

Oh, an informative article on neuroscience. Interesting.

It was still shocking to M. how much a few wrong turns could change your life. ... By the time she was thirty-two, her marriage had disintegrated. In the divorce, she lost possession of their home, and, amid her financial and psychological struggles, she saw that she was losing her children, too.

... okay.

One day, she went to see a doctor because she wasn’t feeling well, and learned that she had contracted H.I.V. from a contaminated needle.

Huh?

One morning, after she was awakened by her bedside alarm, she sat up and, she recalled, “this fluid came down my face, this greenish liquid.” She pressed a square of gauze to her head and went to see her doctor again. M. showed the doctor the fluid on the dressing. The doctor looked closely at the wound. She shined a light on it and in M.’s eyes. Then she walked out of the room and called an ambulance. Only in the Emergency Department at Massachusetts General Hospital, after the doctors started swarming, and one told her she needed surgery now, did M. learn what had happened. She had scratched through her skull during the night—and all the way into her brain.

OH JESUS CHRIST NO

A little more warning would have been nice.

Honestly

When was the last time Christopher Hitchens wrote about how much he liked something?

Great

Good time to join the Army.

Consistency, hobgoblins, et cetera

From a NYT article covering the education and social conventions of Algerian youth:

The conversation shifted, with Hassinah complaining that men were treated better at home than women. “The boys don’t have to wash the dishes. Why?” she said. “Why the difference? If I had a boy or girl, I would treat them equal.

“Women are supposed to work all day and come home and clean and cook — no way,” she fumed, her hands firmly on her knees.

[Hassinah's father] Mr. Bou Bekeur seemed pleased. “Women have more opportunities today than they used to. Women can participate in sports and still be respected,” he said in his naturally soft voice.

“No,” Hassinah said, gently, shaking her head at her father. “My way of thinking is more influenced by religion. My religion tells me ‘no, that’s not right.’ ”

I don't mean to be a self-righteous pedant, but it seems clear to me that if you insist on avoiding opportunities to prove to others that you are their equal, you shouldn't be surprised when they fail to treat you like an equal. It seems to me that people love placing others in social categories--particularly lower social categories. If you don't push your order in those categories, you may have to push a dishrag instead.

Appropriateness

The Washington Post has an article today that is essentially two pages of people complaining that the September 11th Memorial at the Pentagon plants a tourist attraction on the side of something that, to quote the director of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, "was not designed to be a welcoming and nice place to visit, like the Mall." (WP)

Frankly, given the trends of post-September 11th architecture and politics, I don't think they could do better than slap 1,000 pounds of concrete and barbed wire atop it and let the public look at it through viewfinders from 300 meters away. A brief artist's rendition of my proposal is below.

Wow

"The movie’s takeaway catchphrase is “Mariska Hargitay,” which is used by the title character as a fake-Hindi spiritual greeting. This is almost hilarious the first 11 or so times he does it, but by the time Guru Pitka (Mr. Myers) says “Mariska Hargitay” to Ms. Hargitay herself, it’s somehow less amusing than it should be. Which might sum up “The Love Guru” in its entirety but only at the risk of grievously understating the movie’s awfulness. A whole new vocabulary seems to be required. To say that the movie is not funny is merely to affirm the obvious. The word “unfunny” surely applies to Mr. Myers’s obnoxious attempts to find mirth in physical and cultural differences but does not quite capture the strenuous unpleasantness of his performance. No, “The Love Guru” is downright antifunny, an experience that makes you wonder if you will ever laugh again."

(NYT, on the Love Guru. Yow.)

Guts is enough

One of my favorite visual tropes is that of the Guy Gamely and Authentically Participating in Foreign Culture. It's obviously not what he was brought up with, and he's not entirely comfortable with it; nevertheless, this particular guy chooses to gamely suck it up, wear the odd clothing, dance the dance, and make an authentic contribution because he knows how important it is to the people directly involved. I've seen this before, mostly at weddings when I was a child, and it's always life-affirming to see how well most people rise to the occasion--white guys wearing leis, Hindus standing at the altar in church--and I always find it inspiring, in a small and delicate way, to see people decide to stand by each other at their strangest.

Additional data

An addition to the list of things I know about Slobodan Milosevic:

Things already known:

1) That he was the President of Serbia
2) That a friend of a friend's job was to keep him happy during his trial for war crimes at the Hague through regular chess games

New information:

3) That he will not return as a vampire to prey upon the living.

What are our neighbors watching?

Aliens

National Velvet

300

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

We Own the Night

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Grim tidings

The Rhodesian Bush War was not a pleasant affair at all. I would think it would take a very callous man to wish something like that on citizens of his country without a very good reason.

The former guerrilla commander [and president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe] told ZANU-PF youth members in Harare a day earlier that liberation war veterans had told him they would launch a new bush war if he lost the run-off.

"They said if this country goes back into white hands just because we have used a pen (to vote), 'we will return to the bush to fight'," Mugabe said. (NYT)

Crap.

This is deeply troubling. All prior reports were that Mugabe had no intention of peacefully stepping aside in the event that the MDC won the forthcoming runoff elections. Yet hope sprang eternal that he might not find the necessary military backing for his kleptocratic power grab. I wonder if Mugabe realizes how crippled Rhodesian counterinsurgency efforts were by international condemnation of the white minority government, and how different things might be if he were to engage in a "Third Chimurenga". Then again, looking at Rwanda and the international community's track record in Zimbabwe so far, Mugabe might be wholly justified in believing that the same quantum of international aid might be forthcoming to any armed opposition to his dictatorial rule--if only for reasons of apathy rather than principle. I can't see this ending well at all.

JESUS CHRIST

GO AWAY GERMANS

A bad joke

And yet one that I feel has to be made.

Overlord anniversary

June 6 is the anniversary of the Allied invasion of France. Two of my favorite quotes from the period, one reflecting confidence in the ultimately successful invasion, one reflecting grim recognition of the chances of failure.

... I have also to announce to the House that during the night and the early hours of this morning the first of the series of landings in force upon the European Continent has taken place. In this case the liberating assault fell upon the coast of France. An immense armada of upwards of 4,000 ships, together with several thousand smaller craft, crossed the Channel. Massed airborne landings have been successfully effected behind the enemy lines, and landings on the beaches are proceeding at various points at the present time. The fire of the shore batteries has been largely quelled. The obstacles that were constructed in the sea have not proved so difficult as was apprehended. The Anglo-American Allies are sustained by about 11,000 firstline aircraft, which can be drawn upon as may be needed for the purposes of the battle. I cannot, of course, commit myself to any particular details. Reports are coming in in rapid succession. So far the Commanders who are engaged report that everything is proceeding according to plan. And what a plan! This vast operation is undoubtedly the most complicated and difficult that has ever taken place. It involves tides, wind, waves, visibility, both from the air and the sea standpoint, and the combined employment of land, air and sea forces in the highest degree of intimacy and in contact with conditions which could not and cannot be fully foreseen.

There are already hopes that actual tactical surprise has been attained, and we hope to furnish the enemy with a succession of surprises during the course of the fighting. The battle that has now begun will grow constantly in scale and in intensity for many weeks to come, and I shall not attempt to speculate upon its course. This I may say, however. Complete unity prevails throughout the Allied Armies. There is a brotherhood in arms between us and our friends of the United States. There is complete confidence in the supreme commander, General Eisenhower, and his lieutenants, and also in the commander of the Expeditionary Force, General Montgomery. The ardour and spirit of the troops, as I saw myself, embarking in these last few days was splendid to witness. Nothing that equipment, science or forethought could do has been neglected, and the whole process of opening this great new front will be pursued with the utmost resolution both by the commanders and by the United States and British Governments whom they serve. I have been at the centres where the latest information is received, and I can state to the House that this operation is proceeding in a thoroughly satisfactory manner. Many dangers and difficulties which at this time last night appeared extremely formidable are behind us. The passage of the sea has been made with far less loss than we apprehended. The resistance of the batteries has been greatly weakened by the bombing of the Air Force, and the superior bombardment of our ships quickly reduced their fire to dimensions which did not affect the problem. The landings of the troops on a broad front, both British and American- -Allied troops, I will not give lists of all the different nationalities they represent-but the landings along the whole front have been effective, and our troops have penetrated, in some cases, several miles inland. Lodgments exist on a broad front.

The outstanding feature has been the landings of the airborne troops, which were on a scale far larger than anything that has been seen so far in the world. These landings took place with extremely little loss and with great accuracy. Particular anxiety attached to them, because the conditions of light prevailing in the very limited period of the dawn-just before the dawn-the conditions of visibility made all the difference. Indeed, there might have been something happening at the last minute which would have prevented airborne troops from playing their part. A very great degree of risk had to be taken in respect of the weather.

But General Eisenhower's courage is equal to all the necessary decisions that have to be taken in these extremely difficult and uncontrollable matters. The airborne troops are well established, and the landings and the follow-ups are all proceeding with much less loss-very much less-than we expected. Fighting is in progress at various points. We captured various bridges which were of importance, and which were not blown up. There is even fighting proceeding in the town of Caen, inland. But all this, although a very valuable first step-a vital and essential first step-gives no indication of what may be the course of the battle in the next days and weeks, because the enemy will now probably endeavour to concentrate on this area, and in that event heavy fighting will soon begin and will continue without end, as we can push troops in and he can bring other troops up. It is, therefore, a most serious time that we enter upon. Thank God, we enter upon it with our great Allies all in good heart and all in good friendship.

-Winston Churchill

Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that Bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.

-Dwight Eisenhower

Why not?

I wish I had a "handler". Like a political candidate. Or Tom Cruise. Or a bear.

Reconciliation

My one hope is that all this rancor will be forgotten if--Barack Obama becomes president.

Pot, kettle

I just had to jump on this quote in the Times:

As Josef Joffe, the publisher and editor of the prestigious German weekly Die Zeit, wrote in a web posting: “The spirit of the times is for Obama — even if less so in Asia, Africa and Latin America than in western Europe. But an optical illusion may be influencing our mood — notably the comforting picture that it is not America but George W. Bush that is the problem. Out goes the ‘cowboy’, in comes Change and Hope, and we can love America again.”

Well, let me rephrase that for you, Mr. Joffe, and you let me know how this one works for you.

The spirit of the times is for Helmut Kohl -- even if less so in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union than in western Europe. But an optical illusion may be influencing our mood -- notably the comforting picture that it is not Germany but Hitler that was the problem. Out goes the 'stormtrooper', in comes Change and Hope, and we can love Germany again.

I think maybe one benefit of the doubt deserves another, eh? At least consider it?

Also, where does he get off including "Africa" in his comprehensive survey? Last I heard, at least the Kenyans were pretty pumped.

I... really? Really?

As a preface, let me just state that I badly wanted this not to be true.

You may have noticed, in Hillary Clinton's defiant post-primary speech last night, that she mentioned that comments on her website would be welcome as a means of determining the next steps her campaign might take. From the Washington Post:

Ever the good pupil, Clinton mentioned her Web site the way advisers spent months begging her to do. "This has always been your campaign, so to the 18 million people who voted for me and to our many other supporters out there of all ages, I hope you will go to my Web site, at HillaryClinton.com," she said, soliciting suggestions for her next move. (emphasis supplied)

Vice Wonkette, however, if you go to HillaryClinton.com, you find the following message:

So I guess the "suggestion" we're meant to send is pretty clear. How ludicrous is this? "Message(optional)"? Really? A pathetic demand for pro forma support, disguised as a request for an honest airing of views? This is why I support Barack Obama. He's the only candidate with acceptable policy views in the race thus far who has not repeatedly insulted my intelligence. My primary concern is no longer if he's the candidate most likely to win in November anymore. He, or someone very much like him, will be president one day. It is inevitable. As this country moves towards increasing racial diversity, as this country continues to base its future on innovation and a creed, however besmirched, of individual rights and liberties, it is inevitable. History is on Barack Obama's side, however this election turns out. We deserve a president who will speak to us like intelligent human beings, who will leave behind the hateful racists and xenophobes who have come out of the woodwork to vote against Barack Obama in defiance of their own economic self-interest. If victory in November comes at the price of getting in bed with the West Virginians who won't vote for a black man, or "have had enough of HOO-SEIN", in my opinion it comes at too high a price. Let President McCain appoint his judges to the Supreme Court. Let those judges stand in the way of the next Barack Obama, or the next, or the next. Let us remember FDR and the New Deal Supreme Court. Let the dross be burned away by this crucible, and let us emerge like steel from the fire.

Bad news, bad news

Snarky counterinsurgency blog Abu Muqawama has quickly shot to the top of my favorite internet reading. It's sort of like Wonkette, if Wonkette also delivered insightful political analysis and was read and commented upon by the political equivalents of such counterinsurgency luminaries as David Kilcullen and Gian Gentile. Although the blog's continuing, sadly one of its lead contributors is leaving to focus on his academic research. Since the blog was run under pseudonyms, it's interesting to find out that Abu Muqawama himself turns out to be none other than Andrew Exum. I read Andrew Exum's book when it was published several years ago--it was one of the first first-person soldier narratives to come out of the GWOT. Good luck to him in his future endeavors.

In other news, Michael Scheuer is skeptical that Al Qaeda's supposed intellectual breakup is all that it's cracked up to be.

Point/Counterpoint

Good news!

Bad news.

How to make sense of it?

Would have made a better fighter pilot than John McCain

One minute into this interview, listen to Senator Clinton pull high g forces as she twists away from directly explaining why she didn't speak out against the Democratic National Committee's decision to strip Florida of its primary delegates "when [Florida] needed you".

Munich it isn't

For everyone who was against "appeasement", as defined by George W. Bush:

Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: "Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided." We have an obligation to call this what it is – the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.

isn't it a little awkward that Israel turns out to have been negotiating with Syria through Turkey? The IHT nails it:

The talks in Turkey were coordinated with the United States, according to a senior Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity, though the talks come less than a week after President George W. Bush, speaking to the Israeli Parliament, created a stir by criticizing those who would negotiate with "terrorists and radicals." Bush's remarks have become an issue in the American presidential campaign because they were widely perceived as a rebuke to Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic front-runner, who has advocated the kind of engagement that Israel and Syria are now undertaking.

Really, it's sort of like watching someone kick a puppy.

Update: the NYT chimes in:

[A] few weeks ago, Israeli officials told their counterparts at the State Department that they planned to begin the negotiations, which are being mediated by Turkey.

“They weren’t asking our permission,” one senior administration official said. Another Bush official characterized the Israeli announcement as “a slap in the face.”

Next time, I suggest vague anthropomorphism

Reading about the adventures of a Slate reporter in the Caucasus led me to a Wikipedia article on the village of Borjomi, apparently home to the lamest Winter Olympics logo I have yet seen--and that's saying something. Seriously, it's like their information minister's ten-year-old kid did it with MS Paint.

They also control the media

Hilarity ensues when your health insurance CEO is named William L. Jews.

I will never joke about the French military again

Not after reading about the French wars in Algeria and Vietnam. The French armed forces suffered losses and did their duty under circumstances that would have crippled lesser nations in conflicts that have receded into history's footnotes. What is particularly striking is the relative poverty of the French forces in Vietnam--at times, the Viet-Minh definitely come across as the better armed and equipped of the forces. One of the boasts of the American Army is its refusal to leave a soldier behind on the field of battle. After reading Street Without Joy, that strikes me as the boast of a wealthy and extremely fortunate military. I remember the bitterness over accusations that American POWs had been abandoned in Vietnam. How would this country have dealt with it if these accusations had been completely true? According to Fall, that was the fate of various French commando units abandoned in North Vietnam after the 1954 cease-fire--5,000 soldiers at the height of their operations:

One by one, as the last commandos ran out of ammunition, as the last still operating radio sets fell silent, the remnants of the [French commando teams] died in the hills of North Viet-Nam. There was no "U-2" affair, no fuss: France did not claim the men, and the Communists were content to settle the matter by themselves. French officers recalled with a shudder the last radio message picked up from somewhere in North Viet-Nam nearly two years after the fighting had officially stopped. The voice was a French voice and the message was addressed to the French. It said:

"You sons-of-bitches, help us! Help us! Parachute us at least some ammunition, so that we can die fighting instead of being slaughtered like animals!" -Bernard Fall, Street Without Joy

I hope that we will continue a wealthy and lucky nation. The alternative might be unacceptable.

Quixotic

From Bernard Fall's Street Without Joy:

There is a difference between us French and Don Quixote. Don Quixote rode against windmills believing they were giants, but we ride against windmills knowing they are windmills but doing it all the same because we think that there ought to be someone in this materialistic world who rides against windmills. -"Col. Wainwright" on the First Indochinese War

I do not think it means what you think it means

From the NYT:

Cynthia Ruccia, 55, a sales director for Mary Kay cosmetics in Columbus, Ohio, is organizing a group, Clinton Supporters Count Too, of mostly women in swing states who plan to campaign against Mr. Obama in November. “We, the most loyal constituency, are being told to sit down, shut up and get to the back of the bus,” she said. (NYT)

I'm sorry, but would you mind defining what the words "most loyal constituency" mean to you?

Chroni-(what)-cles of Narnia

Saw Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian last night. Very good, if somewhat depressing. The Narnians take a lot of casualties fending off Telmarine attack, and seeing fauns and other noble woodland creatures slaughtered by a treacherous and vaguely Spanish Conquistador humanity was, embarrassingly, somewhat distressing for me. Some changes in plot were obviously necessary, but they're minor and by and large make for a more dramatic movie. The changes don't approach anywhere near some ham-handed edits to LOTR that I can remember. Sadly, Peter Dinklage's Narnian accent comes and goes a bit. Reepicheep the Mouse steals the entire goddamn movie. I would watch an entire movie starring Reepicheep the Mouse. Fortunately that movie is Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which I hope should be arriving in a couple years. The movie also provides an excellent lesson (without spoiling too much) in certain principles of commando raiding. (Highlight for spoiler: specifically, the necessity to have the courage to know when to cut your losses and call the damn thing off. Protip: not when Peter finally does it in the movie.)

Why I love videogames

This is probably the hardest that I have laughed in quite some time.

Under "shameless" in the dictionary

Watch from about four minutes out.

Write-in Candidate

It's just a movie.

Reagan and Iran

McCain said today about Bush's digs about Obama

“Yes, there have been appeasers in the past, and the president is exactly right, and one of them is Neville Chamberlain,'’ Mr. McCain told reporters on his campaign bus after a speech in Columbus, Ohio. “I believe that it’s not an accident that our hostages came home from Iran when President Reagan was president of the United States. He didn’t sit down in a negotiation with the religious extremists in Iran, he made it very clear that those hostages were coming home.'’

Um--"arms for hostages"? Iran-Contra? Dammit, John--there are things called "facts."

Actually, now that I think more about it, McCain's right. Reagan didn't sit down to negotiate. He just traded weapons for people. That's totally different. Guns at least were involved, which makes it all right.

Both these things--Bush's continual bullying and politicization and distortion and McCain's glomming onto it and then simply being wrong--make me so angry. I'm really fed up with these people. McCain better not win.

Solidarity

I take it back: he does care.

For the first time, Bush revealed a personal way in which he has tried to acknowledge the sacrifice of soldiers and their families.

“I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf,” he said. “I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal.”

He just doesn't care that much, is all.

HEAD FOR THE HILLS

I had a feeling that the end was nigh, and now (vice Wonkette) I'm pretty much sure of it. Only Barack Obama can save us now.

More of the same

AUGH WHERE IS YOUR NECK?!?

Louder and more dissonant

From West Virginia, proof that you can still fool some of the people all of the time.

Honestly, the more I see of anti-Barack Obama voters, the more I'm convinced that, win or lose in November, he's the right candidate--praesidens quondam, praesidensque futurus.

Ever vigilant

From Baghdad, more proof that the threat of simulated drowning lurks around every corner.

A faster way

In the April 21 issue of the New Yorker, noted curmudgeon Jonathan Franzen writes (full version not actually available online), "My difficulty with golf is that, although I play it once or twice a year to be sociable, I dislike almost everything about it."

Wouldn't it save time if he just noted the things that he does like (or at least doesn't dislike)?

Patrick O'Brian

I read a generally lousy biography of him by his stepson, Nikolai Tolstoy. It's just not well done--poor writing, too much speculation, too much excuse-making, too much of what seems like oversimplified, century-old psychology. But it draws on interesting, primary sources, contains some interesting information about how Richard Patrick Russ became Patrick O'Brian, and provides another side of the (generally unsympathetic) story that Dean King presented. One solid conclusion to be drawn about O'Brian: what a strange man. (Another: Maturin!)

Take, for instance, the following quote, which I very much like. It's from the Tolstoy biography (p. 263), an excerpt from a letter O'Brian wrote in 1970 from Austria to his wife, with whom he was having some problems.

Sometimes you have said that I do not speak clearly, and it is true: I distrust words and I value indirection too highly. But I will say this as directly as can be--if you think my writing worth a straw, do not keep me in this state.

I love the change of direction. He writes very honestly, openly, and directly--for the first sentence. But the second sentence, which he touts as direct, seems to me to be missing the point! Why not say, "But I will say this as directly as can be--if you love me, if you value me, do not keep me in this state"? That seems "as direct[] as can be." Of course, I'm not an author. I don't live for my craft. I don't know if he went to Austria to write. I don't know if, though I doubt it, she valued him only as an author, not as, you know, her husband. It just seems strangely off.

And, in that way, it is extremely true to O'Brian.

In which I contribute in a humorous way

... to our national political dialogue.

Okay, I'm a huge sucker

This picture made me tear up a bit. Just a bit!

An inclusive campaign

"The composition of [Obama's] vote remains the same," said a Clinton aide. "He didn't resolve the issues that have dogged him, namely his ability to expand his base beyond African-American votes and liberal rich eggheads." (Slate)

Okay, you know what--the hell with you guys too. When did it become safe for a Democratic candidate to knock liberalism and education? I just waded through eight years of this rhetorical cesspit and I am tired, do you understand me?

Quote of the Campaign

"We're going to knock balls out of the country's park for the home team, which is America."
-Hillary Clinton, quoted in The Economist.

I couldn't have said it better myself. Wait--what does that mean?

Reality-based community

"I'm not going to put my lot in with economists because I know if we did it right...we would design it in such a way that it would be implemented effectively."-- Hillary Clinton, asked if any economists support the gas tax holiday proposal (from Slate.com)

Didn't we just leave this party?

Update: this clip from tpm pretty much lays it all out.

Meet the new boss

This is what I am afraid of. The policy issue here is the proposed gas tax break, but the principle, I fear, is susceptible to a multitude of applications.

Embracing intellectual obtuseness and deflecting criticism with charges of elitism is a tactic George Bush often deployed while campaigning. It's striking to see Clinton do it because she has been a regular and harsh critic of Bush's blindness to expert opinion. It's even more striking to hear her aides actually sound like Bush administration officials. When I asked Communications Director Howard Wolfson if the Clinton team could offer any intellectual ballast for the gas-tax vacation, given that so many policymakers had criticized it, he said, "The presidency requires leadership. … There are times when the president does something that the group of experts, quote unquote, does not agree with. Presidents get advice and then act, and that is what Senator Clinton is doing." Or, as George Bush used to put it: A leader leads. Even if off a cliff.

A forest is composed of trees

I'm sure there are other points for reasonable people to differ on in this Bruce Bawer opinion piece, linked through Arts & Letters Daily. Something that stood out like a red flag to me, though, is the casual inclusion of Australian Army Lt. Col. David Kilcullen in a list of persons that Mr. Bawer finds insufficiently tough on radical Islam:

Even military leaders aren’t immune [to whitewashing the dangers of radical Islam]. In 2005, columnist Diana West noted that America’s Iraq commander, Lieutenant General John R. Vines, was educating his staff in Islam by giving them a reading list that “whitewashes jihad, dhimmitude and sharia law with the works of Karen Armstrong and John Esposito”; two years later, West noted the unwillingness of a counterinsurgency advisor, Lieutenant Colonel David Kilcullen, to mention jihad.

This should make no sense to anyone who has the remotest idea who David Kilcullen actually is, what he does for a living, and how great his contributions to American counterinsurgency doctrine and practice have been. Indeed, it betrays a certain similarity to other fundamentalist orthodoxies of thought: think in concert with my beliefs, use the proper code words and pass-phrases, or be condemned. To be sure, Mr. Bawer is unlikely to express as violent a reaction as those he criticizes in his opinion piece. It does, however, leave me cold when a pundit criticizes a soldier for a failure to use, in Mr. Bawer's opinion, the correct code words, when the soldier has already contributed more and risked more in this fight than Mr. Bawer will in his lifetime.

Random post-reading thoughts

I just got done reading A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962, by Alistair Horne, a recommended history of France's counterinsurgency war in Algeria. It's an easy read, though I found the last 15% of the book covering France's painful, prolonged withdrawal from Algeria slow going. Algeria is often referenced as a case study in counterinsurgency, particularly with regard to Iraq and Afghanistan these days. Some unvetted thoughts on the comparison:

Reassuring thoughts:

1) No colonists: The most important "asset" the United States has is the absence of a significant colonial population of citizens with a deep committment to making Iraq or Afghanistan into an American state. The Algerian pieds noirs were repeatedly their own worst enemies in Mr. Horne's history, making outrageous demands upon the French government and shattering any hope for a compromise peace with the non-European Algerians.

2) The availability of a "third force": The French repeatedly attempted to build an alternative Algerian government to negotiate with, as opposed to the hard-line demands of the F.L.N. organization. This ambition was repeatedly frustrated, not least by the actions of the French themselves. I found the description of De Gaulle's snubbing of a limited peace offer by the commanders of an important sector of the Algerian insurgency particularly affecting. By contrast, American commanders seem to be turning in favor of concluding local peace agreements where possible.

3) The unified nature of the Algerian resistance, as opposed to the fractured nature of our opposition in Iraq and Afghanistan: During the Algerian war, internal F.L.N. disputes were well concealed from the general public. This united front allowed the F.L.N. to gradually wear down the French negotiating position to the point where De Gaulle was forced to concede almost all of his demands in the hope of gaining a face-saving withdrawal from Algeria. In Iraq, at least, the opposition seems much less organized than the iron hand the F.L.N. exercised over the Algerian war effort.

4) The professionalism of the American officer class: I had no idea that critical units and officers of the French Army had rebelled against the French government and formed their own clandestine terror organizations. The likelihood that this will or could happen in the current conflict seems negligible.

Alarming thoughts:

1) Tactical military victory is inadequate: The French achieved near total victory over the Algerian insurgents in the field. They won the Battle of Algiers. They enjoyed much greater intelligence access to the thoughts of their enemy, drawing on officers with long experience in colonial Algeria. The French had access to experienced officers who had just been defeated by an insurgent enemy in Indochina and were determined not to suffer defeat a second time. Elite French units enjoyed almost complete freedom to detain, torture, and secretly assassinate suspected insurgents. The French were able to obtain near-complete isolation of insurgents operating in the interior of Algeria from outside aid. Unlike the Vietnamese, the Algerian insurgent never fielded heavy artillery, an air force, tanks, or other modern weaponry. At its greatest extent, France deployed over 600,000 troops to Algeria over a much shorter logistical train. None of this altered the final Algerian strategic victory.

2) The advantage of political unity: Nothing was as heartening to the F.L.N. or as demoralizing to the French as the appearance of Algerian political unity and French political disharmony. As long as the Algerians could create the impression that they were unified and that the French would eventually negotiate on their terms, the war would continue and the Algerians would inch closer to victory. More than ever, I am convinced that we require a unified defense policy that will remain the same regardless of changes in administration.

3) The reduced efficiency of the French Army as it became increasingly clear that the French government was asking them to risk their lives in order to save face: It is difficult to ask soldiers to die for anything less than victory. By defining victory too high (the total collapse of the F.L.N., the preservation of a pied noir colonial state in Algeria) the eventual dissatisfaction with the attainable political goals led to a minor rebellion against the French government, the forced dissolution of some of France's most effective counterinsurgency units, and the imprisonment or exile of some of France's most effective officers.

Punchy

There's something about the fact that I can buy an 882 pack of standard GE light bulbs for $1,198.96 (and $271.41 in shipping--what, no supersaver deal?) that amuses me to no end. And then I realize that it's 1:44am and I'm staring finals in the face and I'm punchy. But I still think it's funny. Now, if only someone wrote a consumer review.... But I guess everyone's buying CFLs.

Augh

Never underestimate the ability of the modern Democratic Party to lose an election, I suppose is the lesson.

More than ever, I flash back to 2004, when the Democratic Party discarded two relatively young, populist candidates with mass appeal for the blandest candidate imaginable on the basis of some nebulous metric of "electability". I believe that this is our John Kerry moment--except this time around the Democratic Party is doing the Swiftboating for the Republicans.

Democracy in Action

Hooray Australia! I wonder how well it will work. But with Cate Blanchett AND Hugh Jackman, it might win an Oscar, or at least do pretty well at the box office.

Troubling Science Redux

Computer chips for better human memory?

Reason one that it's troubling: forgetting is underrated--keeps people sane. It's like pruning a tree.

Reason two that it's troubling: machines always rise up against their creators. Honestly, people, have we learned nothing from years of sci fi?

Also, internet and sundry other machines/computers/AIs, please don't kill me.

Self-searching

Examining the posts below, I ask: have I been spending too much time on YouTube?

Or not enough?

LOOK ON MY WORKS, YE MIGHTY

I now believe that the end of civilization as we know it is a fat asian child rickrolling people.

Eureka

I finally figured out what that "3 AM" ad's been reminding me of.



Extra value for Ed Koch and J&R Music World/Computer World!

Aw, dammit, I'm sorry about the freedom fries thing

Much like my instinctive response to Barack Obama's "Yes We Can" video forced me to believe that racial reconciliation might be possible in our lifetime, this video forces me to believe that I have been unjust in the past when speaking about the French, and to regret those injustices terribly.

The metaphor can't hold much longer, captain!

From a NYT article on executive compensation:

Shareholders are also concerned about pay packages that can encourage executives to sacrifice the future for a present-day payout. Mr. Hodgson points to Sprint Nextel as a prime example. In a recent filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said it had redesigned its compensation plans so that incentive pay for progress toward goals would kick in every quarter.

“If you put a carrot in front of a donkey’s nose, it simply chases that carrot,” Mr. Hodgson said. “Better you add the carrots to the feedbag, but you don’t let the donkey eat any of them until it’s accomplished what’s needed for long-term success.”

Clearly, this is why modern financial markets are so complicated: the intimate knowledge of the care and feeding of donkeys necessary to accurately predict the preferences of a pack of asses. I admit that Mr. Hodgson's advice does work like a charm. Now, before I feed any of my house pets, I sit down and take a quick run through the numbers for that quarter. I like to make sure they're meeting their targets.

More similarities

From Slate's military blog compiler:

I'm at the bookstore, and the woman at the table to my left has just finished rambling on to some poor guy about trying to find a 2006 Infiniti something or other because "it's the only one with a navigation system that works in Hawaii." And she wants the rear-facing camera when she backs up, because she hates the beeping, and you can only get the rear-facing camera if you have the navigation system. But the only one with a navigation system that works is a 2006 and she can't find a 2006. And my mind jumps back to a day in March of this year. I went out with a friend's platoon, and we hiked about two hours from our company patrol base uphill to a small village. . . . (Link)

From A Savage War of Peace:

The Parisians cared for nothing but their outings, their theatres, their vacations prepared three months in advance. I came to detest them, to despise all those French who were sending their sons to torture in Algeria and who could only be interested in their little boutiques. . . .

Nothing new under the sun

I'm currently reading A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962, a history of the Algerian War and the brutal counterinsurgency campaign prosecuted by the French against their Algerian FLN adversaries, who were not above resorting to terrorism themselves. In March 1955, a French analysis of the situation recommended the legalization of torture:

The water and electricity methods, provided they are carefully used, are said to produce a shock which is more psychological than physical and therefore do not constitute excessive cruelty. . . . According to certain medical opinion which I was given, the water-pipe method, if used as outlined above, involves no risk to the health of the victim. . . . I am inclined to think that these procedures can be accepted and that, if used in the controlled manner described to me, they are no more brutal than deprivation of food, drink, and tobacco, which has always been accepted. . . .

Eerily familiar. For those espousing the use of torture to resolve our current American situation, I think it is instructive to remember that while torture did result in certain medium-term tactical gains, in the final analysis, the French ended up withdrawing from Algeria.

About time

Are we catching on at last to the fact that this is an ideological war and needs to be pursued as such? (Which is not to totally discount physical force, just to remind that we've been concentrating on it too much and too stupidly.)

Of course, the backstory is just embarrassing.

Join me

In my less charitable moments working for the state legislature here, I sometimes think that my desire to engage in democracy promotion abroad stems not so much from my desire to promote a system of government as my desire to inflict that system of government on others.

Really, as Winston Churchill apocryphally said, the only system of government worse than this would be anything else.

Also broadly applicable

This reminds me of law school somehow.

Q: Has looking at the numbers prevented you from actually just enjoying a summer day at the ballpark? Have we all forgotten the randomness of human ballplayers? By reducing players to just their numbers can we lose sight of the intangibles such as teamwork, friendships, and desire.

A: Does looking at pretty women prevent one from experiencing love? Life is complicated. Your efforts to compartmentalize it are lame and useless.

From the Times' Freakonomics blog's q&a with Bill James (emphasis added).

"Lame and useless"--words to live by!

Too soon?

The New York Times buries a story on April Fools' Day in Baghdad. Now, I admire dedication to a good joke as much as anything in this world. Telling jokes like these takes some serious belief in the power of humor:

BAGHDAD — Doah Mohammed played a trick on her mother-in law on Tuesday. She called her and told her that her son, Ms. Mohammed’s husband, had been arrested by American and Iraqi soldiers. When she got the news, Ms. Mohammed’s mother in-law gasped and said she was about to faint. So Ms. Mohammed quickly told her that it was only a prank, and the two women laughed — it was, after all, April Fools’ Day.

Of course, the war in Iraq being what it is, sometimes the humor is a little too topical:

Hadi Abdul Lateef, 26, a clerk in a cosmetics store, said that though he liked to play tricks on people for April Fools’ Day, he no longer dared to do so. Two years ago, he said, a friend called the family of another friend, a man named Ali, and told them Ali had been kidnapped and would be killed unless the family paid a ransom. The kidnapping was a hoax. But the next day, Mr. Lateef said, Ali was on his way to work when a bomb exploded, killing him.

“It was a very black joke,” Mr. Lateef said.

Wow. Too soon.

Idiocy imitates life

Tracy and I have recently been introduced to the Trader Joe's craze: we didn't understand it before, but now we are definitely hip-deep in exotic frozen goods, fresh generic salsa, and inexpensive wine. Favored items are the frozen Trader Joe's Chicken and Cheese and Green Chile tamales. My one complaint would be that it is an art to estimate the correct heating time: too little time in the microwave and the inside will be cold and unalluring; too much time and the contents will have exploded out of their corn husk covering like a cheesy alien from the innards of a Colonial Marine. The difference is measured in seconds, and led to one of the odder moments of my life when, seeing the cheese beginning to bubble out on the plate, I quickly sprang to halt the microwave. Snatching the tamales up, a sudden wave of heat creased the tips of my fingers, and an involuntary cry rang out from my lips: "Agh! Hot tamales! Hot tamales!"

Later that day I also sat in a traffic jam, when I was already late. Fortunately my appointment, to attend a wedding, was canceled on account of the weather.

Reasonable time, place, and manner

I like heraldry as much as the next guy, but there comes a limit.

WHY MUST KOREANS RUIN EVERYTHING

I used to enjoy Call of Duty 4. Now I'm not sure I'll ever play it again.

Why? Koreans.

Lest we forget

In the tight race to capture the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Clinton suffers another blow as a key backer switches his endorsement.

I refer, of course, to 50 Cent.*

*You know he got shot in the face nine times? Totally true.**

**Mandatory in any discussion of Fiddy.

Follow the money

Traditionally, in American politics, the term "money primary" refers to the period between the first candidates in an election announcing their intention to run, and the holding of the first primary or caucus for that election. The short version: the more money in one's campaign account, the more support one appears to have as a candidate, and the more likely other donors, the media, etc. are to take one seriously as a candidate. Conversely, the less money one raises, the less of a serious candidate one appears to be.*

It's no secret that Senator Clinton has lagged behind Senator Obama in fundraising in this election cycle. Nor is her campaign the first to report money troubles. But this latest article from Politico is a troublingly negative report on the Clinton campaign's recent fiscal woes:

Hillary Rodham Clinton's cash-strapped presidential campaign has been putting off paying hundreds of bills for months — freeing up cash for critical media buys but also earning the campaign a reputation as something of a deadbeat in some small business circles. A pair of Ohio companies owed more than $25,000 by Clinton for staging events for her campaign are warning others in the tight-knit event production community — and anyone else who will listen — to get their cash upfront when doing business with her. Her campaign, say representatives of the two companies, has stopped returning phone calls and e-mails seeking payment of outstanding invoices. One even got no response from a certified letter. Their cautionary tales, combined with published reports about similar difficulties faced by a New Hampshire landlord, an Iowa office cleaner and a New York caterer, highlight a less-obvious impact of Clinton’s inability to keep up with the staggering fundraising pace set by her opponent for the Democratic presidential nomination, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

No matter your political orientation, nobody likes being portrayed as a deadbeat, and I'm mildly surprised that the campaign would engage in what looks like a pattern of stiffing small business owners to prioritize media buys. Of course, I expect time on tv is important, but so is returning people's calls. To be fair, the article goes on to talk to several vendors that have experienced no problems whatsoever with the Clinton campaign's business. That said, avoiding calls from creditors is something meth addicts and single mothers on welfare with too many credit cards stereotypically engage in, not presidential campaigns. The Clinton campaign must have a similar level of fear about Barack Obama's fundraising numbers in order for this to have become the issue it apparently is.

*Look at widdle Alan Keyes, with his $299,186 itsy-bitsy campaign account! Who's a big presidential candidate, then? Who's a big presidential candidate! Alan Keyes! Yes he is! Yes he is!

EVEN MORE TROUBLING SCIENCE

So while other scientists mess around with their charming little experiments involving mice and rakes, other scientists have quietly been building a circular particle accelerator and hadron collider 27 kilometers in circumference on the border between Switzerland and France. It actually crosses the border between Switzerland and France several times. The scientists hope to achieve several things by pumping large amounts of energy into the giant contraption, including a closer look at the good ol' Higgs boson.

Today, the New York Times runs a hilarious article on a lawsuit filed to stop the activation of the particle accelerator. Among other things, the lawsuit alleges that:

[The] collider could produce, among other horrors, a tiny black hole, which, they say, could eat the Earth. Or it could spit out something called a “strangelet” that would convert our planet to a shrunken dense dead lump of something called “strange matter.” Their suit also says CERN has failed to provide an environmental impact statement as required under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Yes, clearly NEPA violations are what we most need to be worried about here. If you're playing along at home, query: what jurisdiction is proper, remembering that the organization is based in Switzerland, and given that the structure is in France and Switzerland, are they really required to file an EIS? Sure, we make and maintain the magnets for the structure. But, admitting that I don't know all the ins and outs of NEPA, I still whiles hae ma doots about those choices. Tracy thinks it's just a publicity stunt; I think they may just have a lawyer who's a little out of practice:

Mr. Wagner, who lives on the Big Island of Hawaii, studied physics and did cosmic ray research at the University of California, Berkeley, and received a doctorate in law from what is now known as the University of Northern California in Sacramento.

Yeah, I have no right to be elitist, but I do think it's worth pointing out when your law school has to put a disclaimer section on its webpage.

To be fair about the relative assessment of danger, the plaintiffs' previous track record isn't that hot:

This is not the first time around for Mr. Wagner. He filed similar suits in 1999 and 2000 to prevent the Brookhaven National Laboratory from operating the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. That suit was dismissed in 2001. The collider, which smashes together gold ions in the hopes of creating what is called a “quark-gluon plasma,” has been operating without incident since 2000.

Whew! But any feeling of calm I may have felt was more than dispelled by the last paragraph:

Dr. Arkani-Hamed said concerning worries about the death of the Earth or universe, “Neither has any merit.” He pointed out that because of the dice-throwing nature of quantum physics, there was some probability of almost anything happening. There is some minuscule probability, he said, “the Large Hadron Collider might make dragons that might eat us up.”

Oh, okay.

Wait, what?

There is some minuscule probability, he said, “the Large Hadron Collider might make dragons that might eat us up.”

NOT REASSURING

Troubling science

Sure, teaching a rodent to use a rake to retrieve a seed otherwise out of its reach seems charming now. Next they learn how to make crude knives out of flint, and the next thing you know we're on the deck of a battleship in top hats and tailcoats, signing a document memorializing our unconditional surrender to the Rodent Empire.

Eheu!

Deeply troubling commentary about the state of the war in Afghanistan.

By Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen

So the word is that Queen Elizabeth likes a good round of Wii Bowling.

Nintendo should arrange to put one of those royal appointment crests up on their stuff. If the next time I went into a Best Buy and saw a "By Appointment to HM the Queen, Providers of Fine Electronic Entertainment" I think I would crack up laughing.

Throwing money

From an outsider's perspective, I've had the feeling for a while that all is not well with the government's procurement process. This is probably not news to the skeptics, but I feel it bears repeating and underscoring. One of our supposed strengths as the counterinsurgent should be the freedom of operation international legitimacy lends us: we don't have to pursue shady backroom deals to procure our munitions. Except, of course, when our government procurement system procures that result. Why are we more concerned with buying multimillion dollar fighter planes to be used in a hypothetical war against, I don't know, possibly China--than with buying ammunition to be used right now by people whose perception of our commitment to their cause is vital in safeguarding the lives, right now, of American troops who must trust their personal safety to their Afghan allies? More importantly, why are we buying weapons from a mook like the guy in the mugshot? Wasn't there even a job interview? I'm looking in the wrong places on USAjobs, evidently.

So?

I had hoped that, at the very least, our current engagement in Iraq would ensure some sort of institutional retention of knowledge regarding fighting and producing results in counterinsurgency operations.

In this, as with so many other things about Iraq, I may be disappointed.

Thoughts on Easter

Tracy and I cooked a large Easter dinner for family last night, complete with roast leg of lamb. Some additional thoughts on Easter and Jesus Christ:

-Like a vampire, church services involve (symbolic) blood-drinking (grape juice if you're a high church Protestant). Unlike a vampire, we drink Jesus's blood. Therefore,

-Jesus can probably only see himself in a mirror.

-Jesus probably loves garlic.

-Jesus can turn into a lamb(?)

-Jesus definitely has no problem whatsoever with holy water, blessed items, or crosses displayed everywhere.

Other additional Eastertide thoughts.

Sometimes class is interesting

"The hypocrite, the liar, you can buy him out, corrupt him. You have to kill the true believer."

HLS profs sometimes make salient real world points, even in classes about the 19th century.

Stirrings

As if on cue, today the election law listserv I belong to started spitting out articles like this.

Leadership

Just came across this news item buried in the bowels of the NYT:

"The police have arrested five suspects in a Tuesday mortar attack that American officials say was aimed at the United States Embassy in Sana but instead hit a high school for girls next door, an Interior Ministry official said. The three mortar rounds, which killed a Yemeni guard and wounded 18 people, including 13 girls, appeared to have been fired from the roof of a nearby building rented by the attackers, the official said. He gave no further details." (NYT)

Now, surely, American forces have made errors in targeting that have resulted in the deaths of innocents. During the Second World War, we even deliberately targeted civilians. But if an American fighter plane had killed 13 Yemeni high school girls, this would be at least above the fold, not so? Not that I am arguing that it is unfair that American forces are subjected to the level of media scrutiny that they are. But somehow the facelessness of the terrorist also leads to a certain lack of identification of the terrorist with the negative consequences of their military actions. In turn, this lack of identification makes it hard to ensure that the full import of believing oneself empowered by a divine warrant to kill indiscriminately with high explosives is understood. I wonder if the people responsible for this particular act understand the consequences of their actions now.

The lighter side of radioactive poisoning

From a NYT review of a documentary about Alexander Litvinenko:

"More personal essay than political diatribe, “Poisoned by Polonium” is not without its lighter moments. During a conversation with Andrei Lugovoi, the former Russian intelligence officer now charged by British authorities with Mr. Litvinenko’s murder, the filmmaker is offered tea. He politely declines. "

Classy.

Numbers game

Interesting that Slate keeps asserting so vehemently that Senator Clinton's shot at the presidency is all but impossible at this point, barring an (in their view) unprecedented shakeup among the superdelegates. The assuredness with which they press this is almost unique among the major internet news outlets I patronize.

Then again, I have to remember that this is the media outlet that assured me John Kerry was going to win the 2004 election.

Occupational hazard

Is there an executive officer out there who hasn't cheated on his wife?

Also, if you're the Governor of New Jersey, and you have a threesome with your wife and a male aide, is it still cheating?

These are the questions this modern age presents us with. At least nothing yet has involved barnyard animals (yes, I know) or inanimate objects.

Performance Enhancement?

I'm not sure what EPO would do for one's billiards prowess. Unless maybe you only play marathon deathmatches. Only in Germany, kids....

Curious

Did I ever tell you who I voted for in the primary? I was lame--but honest--and split my vote between Clinton and Obama. I was able to do this because I was able to vote for individual delegates, and voted for three to each. Did I cancel myself out? Sure. But did I fairly reflect my preferences (as of Feb. 4)? Yes. I think I put the tie-breaker to Clinton.

I'm still torn. Clearly, each offers significant advantages and disadvantages, and I will vote very happily for either. I think Obama offers a new face, which is valuable, a stronger position in the foreign sphere, extreme intelligence (and I don't think he's nearly the empty suit some may try to portray him as--HLS, president of the Harvard Law Review, community organizer, and effective state senator count for something, after all), and certain intangibles. I think he's also pushing some exceptionally naive rhetoric (we can all just get along--not gonna happen), some light hypocrisy, probably not as good domestic positions, is untested and (important!) unexamined, carries the risk of losing the general elections for being a black man with a funny Arab-sounding name, and, if elected, carries the risk of (1) being rolled by the Republicans when he tries to compromise on everything and (2) being, like the Clinton administration, not yet ready for the challenges of governing. My biggest problem is the rhetoric and (1). I also think it's inevitable that he's set the bar so high in terms of hope and change and personal rectitude that people will end up being disappointed. (Not me! He's a politician, not a saint.)

Clinton's got the policy knowledge down, seems like she'd be tough in political fighting, has shown herself quite capable (as senator and in her prior career), is probably better on domestic issues, would come in ready, and is generally strong. On the down side, she's polarizing, which hurts her election chances, she's got a bit of the I-deserved-this-so-give-it-to-me attitude with concomitant political viciousness, is a bit of a panderer, was flat out wrong on the Iraq War, may not be able to force things through Congress because she's so polarizing (of course, control of the administrative state counts for a ton), and tends toward the dynastifying of America.

I could go either way. What about you?

AArgh...

U.S. President George W. Bush got an earful on Thursday about problems and progress in Afghanistan ... In a videoconference, Bush heard from U.S. military and civilian personnel about the challenges ranging from fighting local government and police corruption to persuading farmers to abandon a lucrative poppy drug trade for other crops.

...

"I must say, I'm a little envious," Bush said. "If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed."

"It must be exciting for you ... in some ways romantic, in some ways, you know, confronting danger. You're really making history, and thanks," Bush said. (CITE)

...really? That's really what he said to them? I--really?

Here comes the hatred

If you'd like to see the gears of an ugly smear campaign spinning up, look no further than here.

I wouldn't click on the link if you have just eaten or are of a weak constitution.

Really?

I'll admit I don't know a lot about Geraldine Ferraro. What I do know is that if she was on meds in the past, she's off them now. And she needs them, badly; delivered by 500 milligram blowgun dart to the neck if necessary. If she honestly believes that Barack Obama is in the place he is in now primarily because of his race as identified by his skin color--not because of his intelligence, drive, law degree, personal connections, personal charisma, or gender, but because of his skin color--she is a racist and it is no use to deny it. Complaining that she is now being attacked primarily because she is white, rather than because her statement makes no rational sense, is similarly a race-based explanation for her disfavorable treatment, and thus, unless I miss my guess, also racist. And complaining that her former vice presidential candidacy was primarily based upon her gender? This is where I totally lose the thread, and the narrative tips from racist political assault to sheer insanity.

By the way

Has anyone else noticed that one of the Clinton campaign's most public acts recently has been to torpedo the political career of an impressively credentialed woman? Where's the sisterhood?

I don't believe that Senator Clinton should be held to a higher standard, or indeed much of any standard, regarding who she calls upon to be fired from Senator Obama's camp over a gaffe. But I do think it risible to believe that Senator Clinton, or indeed any politician in this race, would prize any principle as nebulous as supporting one's gender, or one's employees, above political advantage at this moment.

A parable for our times

Woe unto ye, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

Verily, let him who hath never slept with a prostitute prosecute the first investment banker.

Apologies

...for the recent hiatus. There was really no reason for it other than my absolute fascination with the fact that the presidential primary season was actually interesting this year.

Well, that and the fact that I was buried under about a metric ton of paperwork, and have just recently surfaced, keyboard in hand.

I think the best thing to do now, if Russia is any example, is to pretend it never happened.

We all have our blind spots

"The way Clinton was insulted on television so often that Lana Moresky, a Clinton fundraiser from Cleveland, had to switch the channel. "They call her a werewolf, a witch, an old hag," Moresky said. "I think a lot of women are really in shock about it, and they're going to feel gypped if she loses. Barack will still be another man in charge."" (WP)

You mean, they will feel as if a Gypsy, or, as they prefer to be known, a Rom, has cheated them in a business transaction?

Who are you and what have you done with my wife?

Last night I had a very strange dream about fighting a war in a very stereotypical science fiction universe. The last thing I remember from the dream was seeing my (current, real) wife come around the corner, and being (as always) very happy to see her. She went on into the building, and then I saw her again. Wearing another set of clothes. And again. And again. Horrified, I realized that the enemy had managed to clone my wife.

Waking up, I turned to Tracy and told her about the dream I had just had. Fortunately (for a bunch of sci-fi geeks) we had already worked out a signal to ensure that neither of us had been cloned by the robot enemy.

She couldn't remember the signal.

I think what this means is that I really miss Battlestar Galactica. And that I am now married to some sort of android spy.

Looks like piss, tastes like awesome

I'm having a bottle of Sainte-Croix Viognier right now. Viognier is a white French grape that I've always adored for it's very delicate floral dryness. I am a huge fan of French white wines that are very dry, crisp, and not sweet - I look for other flavors, like grassiness, citrus, nuttiness, and most importantly a powerful, floral savory flavor that is not buttery. This viognier, purchased at Trader Joe's for a song, hits my palate with a dry punch of herbs, pistachio nuts, and tempura. For such a sharp, savoury, dry flavor, the powerful bouquet is surprisingly and allowably sweet - orchids and earth. The one down side of this wine is the color - it's a sickening, polished yellow color that can only be described as either chardonnay or piss. However, if you can avert your eyes, I can strongly recommend this wine for the budget white enthusiast.

Perhaps this was a bad idea

Ha! A clever trick title--there are three bad ideas I'll talk about.

1. It's really late at night. Posting now was probably a bad idea.
2. My finals are soon to begin, and I have many too many of them, and not nearly enough time to prepare for them. Posting now was probably a bad idea.
3. This defendant and the result in his trial sound insane. Perhaps the jury system really isn't such a good idea after all.