You are currently browsing the daily archive for December 18th, 2006.
Former US secretary of state Colin Powell says the US military is “about broken” and can not handle any plans to boost the troop numbers in Iraq.
Speaking on CBS television’s Face the Nation program, Powell said he had not seen anything that would justify a reported plan by the Bush administration to increase US forces in Iraq by 20,000 or more, from 140,000…
…The former top US diplomat, who said the US army is not large enough to secure Baghdad and should not be used to police the city, also questioned whether more troops would make a difference in the pursuit of insurgents.
What a relief. For if the current US army is not now powerful enough even to secure one major city, it appears those kept awake at night owing to their worries about US global hegemony can certainly begin to sleep much easier. After all, such weakness of course means any repeat of the harsh subjugation and brutality Europe faced 62 years ago this month is thankfully out of the question:
An American soldier threatens unarmed young people
The Socialist party’s candidate for the French presidency, Segolene Royal, postponed a “triumphant” US tour planned for this week after Hillary Clinton declined to meet her…
…An unnamed adviser to Senator Clinton told Le Parisien newspaper on Sunday that appearing next to a French Socialist who recently met a Hezbollah official in Lebanon could be construed as condoning the beliefs of the militant Shiite group.
…The Democrats also have little in common with French socialism, which supports massive state intervention, a huge civil service, and regularly lambasts “US world hegemony”…
Actually, that last bit — about the desiring of massive state regulation, a huge civil service and worries about “US world hegemony” — sounds like what one hears from quite a few Democrats. Also, interestingly, Democratic Chairman Howard Dean didn’t seem to have any problem with meeting Ms Royal.
Libdems demand Saudi arms report
Conscientious as always of course. But one is still a bit surprised that they have the time to go into that arms issue right now. For as was reported over the weekend, the Liberal Democrats appear already more than beset by the issue of Romanian arms.
Man held over Suffolk murders
One must always give credit where credit is due. If this indeed is the guy, one must give a big hat-tip to the Suffolk police: Well done.
And well done to the Guardian, for composing one of the better headlines possible in this ugly situation. In contrast, we have Reuters . . . once again demonstrating its own unique brand of “professionalism” and “sensitivity“:
That first sentence is misleading. Notice it is not in quotes. That’s because “officers” did not tell “a news conference” any such thing: the word “prostitute” was never used:
“Detectives investigating the murder of five women in the Ipswich area have today arrested a man…
…”He has been arrested on suspicion of murdering all five women, Gemma Adams, Tania Nicol, Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell and Annette Nicholls…
But, remember, Reuters won’t use the term “terrorist“. So why “prostitute” and not “terrorist”? The only reason that makes sense is that in Reuter-world “prostitute” doesn’t rate as an “emotive term“.
We should be understanding of Reuters’ dilemma, though. Not being able to say “terrorist” is tough enough, but imagine if the world were full of “terrorist prostitutes”? That would really put Reuters on the spot, having to fit into copy various awkward terms like “extremist prostitute”, “fundamentalist prostitute”, and, of course, “gunmen prostitutes”:
On Mr Blair’s determination to use his last months in office to try to find a way to break the “logjam”, we get this fingerwagging editorial subheading in Monday’s Times:
Halting violence in the Middle East will take more than a few months
Really? Probably like yourself, I’m shocked. We had no idea.
The Middle East has abruptly reached a new and critical stage in its long and important history…
No, that just above is not some heady weekend quote from Mr Blair. It was said by President Eisenhower . . . in 1957.
But given that all cannot be made right by the middle of next week . . . presumably Blair should do nothing?
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