“Citing national security concerns, Deputy U.S. Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz issued a memorandum saying prime rebuilding contracts will be limited to firms from nations that supplied forces for the U.S.-led coalition or declared their support for the ouster of Saddam Hussein.”
So says a report in Canada’s National Post for today.
“John Manley, the Deputy Prime Minister, said Canada may have to rethink the financial contribution that it has already pledged for the rebuilding of Iraq as a result of the U.S. decision.”
That would be one of the more stupid things he’s done, in a career filled with them.
“Mr. Manley said the Pentagon statement was “quite shocking.””
Sorry, John. Actions have consequenses.
You knew up front what these would be. The Bush administration said publicly and repeatedly, — before, during and after the war — that nations that opposed the invasion would be forbidden from bidding on the more lucrative reconstruction contracts. To complain about it now is bogus.
The actions of Canada, specificly it’s liberal party leadership, has brought them to this pass. You weren’t interested in helping us, and in fact you and your party sewed the seeds of hatred against the US with your public statements, under the guise of ‘good government’. And now, you want a peice of the action when there’s money to be made?
How very typical of you, John. You’re not off to a very good start, there, neighbor.
Yahoo News ,Link”:
“BAGHDAD (AFP) – Thousands of Iraqis, some watched over by US Apache helicopters, demonstrated in Baghdad and other cities to condemn ‘terrorism’ in their country. “
Will it have much effect on the people they’re protesting against?
Likely, no.
But it WILL take some of the bite out of the airheads here in the states who want to duck and run from the terrorists.
Backbone, you see, is contagious.
Cal Thomas: notes that the some American high school students will be taught Chinese language and culture under a $1.4 million program financed by the Beijing government.
He asks:
“When will the Chinese Communists allow Americans into their high schools to teach about capitalism, freedom, God and what really happened at Tiananmen Square in 1989 when the government slaughtered thousands of its own people who wanted nothing more than freedom? It would appear that ‘diversity’ will be a one-way education street.”
He’s correct, of course. Worth a read.
NEWSOM: ‘THE TIME FOR CHANGE IS HERE’ / CLOSE RACE: Gonzalez does well against Dems:
“Gavin Newsom, riding voter frustration with homelessness and fueled by nearly $4 million in campaign contributions, won election Tuesday as San Francisco’s 42nd mayor in a campaign viewed as a test of strength for the city’s dominant Democratic Party organization. “
Here’s an example of the press trying to promote leftist interests. This time though, they were forced by conditions into trying to play a line between the two candidates. The far wacko green party lost to the Democrats, here.
News flash: This is not, as the article tries to convey, about how strong the Democrats are; this was a race between a tricycle and a riding lawnmower with spark plug trouble. Neither one is really very strong, it’s just that the greens were weaker.
Even 4 million in campaign money couldn’t make the people of SanFran stupid enough to vote the Green Party into Office. Do you think the press will actually say that?
How could they do that without causing problems with the Democrats, hmmm?
USATODAY.com – Support for Bush, war going back up:
“WASHINGTON ? Public support for the war in Iraq, on the downswing since establishing the peace there turned messy, has climbed back to its highest level since August, a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll shows”
Kinda puts that laugh a minute “Debate” they had last night into a slighly different light, now, doesn’t it?
“TAIPEI (Reuters) – A strong earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale has rattled eastern Taiwan but there are no immediate reports of casualties or damage, the weather bureau says.”
Let’s see. Virginia, Oklahoma, and now Taiwan. Hmmmm.
New York Post Online Edition Ciny Adams
“December 9, 2003 — BARBRA Streisand’s Best Pop Vocal entry – Sony’s ‘The Movie Album’ – got bounced from the Grammys”
She tried cramming it in AFTER the deadline.
It’s called following the rules, Babs. You’d think you’d have learned that you can’t chnage the rules after the game has started, when you spent all that money and effort on Al Gore a few years ago.
“LONDON (AP) – Ozzy Osbourne fractured several bones including a neck vertebra in an all-terrain vehicle accident but the injuries are ‘not a major problem,’ a doctor said Tuesday.”
Well, all I can say is we ought to put a safety message on all ATV’s.. “Do not use while brain is disconnected.”
Here’s a point of comparison you won’t like much, I’m afraid. It’s one a reader sent me this morning.
Mumia Abu-Jamal killed a Philly cop on this day back in 1980.
Of course today, he’s a poster child for the far left.
Does anyone remember the name of the cop he killed?
I’ll post the answer tommorow.
Gore to Endorse Howard Dean for White House
“WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former Vice President Al Gore will endorse Democratic presidential contender Howard Dean on Tuesday, political sources said, handing Dean a crucial political prize and solidifying his position at the front of the 2004 pack.”
Will someone please explain to me on what basis Gore is making this move? It clearly cannot be because of support for Dean’s unique policy angles; he has none. In fact the only thing the two share is a blind hatred of all things republican, and particularly of George W. Bush.
So why is Gore doing this? Why would he not, say, support his former running mate, instead? Lieberman doesn’t seem to understand this point either. More there’s many who ask the question, why the endorsement so early in the race?
The reason is simple; he’s stuffing it to the Clintons, by way of ignoring their boy, Weasely Clark. Gore has always been far left of center. He had Lieberman to lean his ticket toward the center, if marginally so. Left to his own devices, he’ll lean as far to the rabid left as is physically possible. This then, represents the split between Gore and what laughingly passes for the center in DNC circles.
More, Gore understands that neither Clark, nor Lieberman stands a chance in hell to make it to the general election, much less past it. He figures, therefore, that his best path to a post-election appointment, is to support the obvious front-runner. Ignoring of course that Dean won’t make it past the general election, either.
Bottom line here is Gore’s reasoning for putting his endorsement on Dean is personal in nature, is fat on ‘feelings’ and rather slim on facts and policy.
Big shock, given Gore’s own campaign, huh?
Since this is the topic of my weekly longform BIT, I thought this of particular interest.
U.N. control of Web rejected – The Washington Times: World:
“GENEVA — The United States, backed by the European Union, Japan and Canada, has turned back a bid by developing nations to place the Internet under the control of the United Nations or its member governments. “
I usually don’t give a whole bunch of time to the Sun Times, mostly because I’ve found it to be somewhat shakey as a source during the Clinton years, and never went back. But Mark Steyn is giving me cause to reconsider this.
Bush critics live in their own worlds:
Steyn looks at such people as Wayne Madsen, and says:
“”Our military men and women,” he insisted, ”were downing turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and non-alcoholic beer at a time when most people would be eating eggs, bacon, grits, home fries, and toast.” Warming to his theme, Madsen continued, ”The abysmal and sycophantic Washington and New York press corps seems to have completely missed the Thanksgiving ‘breakfast dinner.’ Chalk that up to the fact that most people in the media never saw a military chow line or experienced reveille in their lives. So it would certainly go over their heads that troops would be ordered out of bed to eat turkey and stuffing before the crack of dawn.”
Madsen’s column, ”Wag The Turkey,” arose, it quickly transpired, from reading too much into an a.m./p.m. typo in a Washington Post story and an apparent inability to follow complex technicalities like time zones.”
Great stuff, and worth the read.
The Dog’s got an excellent take on Pearl, as compared to today.
The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: Day of Infamy
Money lines:
When you remember 12/7/41, I want you to remember what we did to the bastards that attacked us. I want you to remember the resolve, determination and sacrifices in the years that followed, because THOSE were the factors that gave us victory.
Anger itself is worthless. Anger transformed into action, on the other hand, isn’t.
Our grandparents’ generation transformed their anger into action, and they STUCK WITH IT.
THEY didn’t allow their resolve to be watered down by defeatism, THEY didn’t throw the towel in the ring at the sight of the first setback, and THEY sure as Hell didn’t get all pissed off, then sat down to ponder if it was “all their own fault”.
THEY didn’t show up for a candle-lit vigil in the week after Dec. 7th, only to go home the next day to resume whatever they were doing on Dec. 6th, thinking that “they’d done their bit”.
They stuck with it, through 4 long years of struggle, staring the Devil in the eye, celebrating their victories and dealing with the defeats, never letting go of the throat of the monster until the monster was dead, shunning no sacrifice and, ultimately, doing whatever it took to win, no holds barred.
