tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160282452011-08-29T09:20:44.286-05:00I like to analyze stuff. Political stuff. Me likey.The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.comBlogger421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-42038036197926465912008-05-24T20:33:00.003-05:002008-05-24T20:40:23.231-05:00

Does John McCain need to pick a fairly young Catholic as his running-mate? Let’s take the affirmative case.Barack Obama is vulnerable amongst numerous demographics.White, working-class males--as Hillary Clinton has recently made clear. McCain has much less vulnerability here.Seniors. McCain should have no problem there.Catholics. This one is key. The Rev. Wright controversy and Obama’s lack of

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-7452997981208409672007-09-13T21:11:00.000-05:002007-09-13T21:38:22.826-05:00

Democrats say that, since the Iraqi government has only completed or made progress on 7 out of 18 (that's 39%) of the benchmarks on its agenda (here), we should pull our troops out of Iraq. They have also suggested that the political leaders in Iraq should either resign or be removed for their "failure".I say: Democrats have only met or made progress on 4 of the 9 (that's 44%) items on the agenda

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-56999632742337383412007-09-13T21:06:00.000-05:002007-09-14T14:16:07.068-05:00

As is well known by now, the Clinton administration had at least three chances to capture or kill Osama Bin Laden. The country of Sudan had captured him and even offered to hand him over to us. Now we know, from a recent New York Times article, that the Bush Administration too failed to capture or kill Bin Laden and his 2--Ayman al-Zawahiri--when he had the chance. Why in the name of Allah would

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1158818617597039882006-09-21T01:03:00.000-05:002006-09-21T01:03:37.610-05:00

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1155289596707577652006-08-11T03:37:00.000-05:002006-08-11T04:50:12.590-05:00

Today's article in The Progressive, by Matthew Rothschild, reeks of instantaneous band-wagon argumentation - the type that liberals cling to as soon as an argument sees light because for so long they've been lacking any argument at all.As with most of these instantaneous band-wagon arguments, Matthew Rothschild's quickly falls apart under scrutiny. And as with most instantaneous band-wagon

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1151462273852265132006-06-27T21:20:00.000-05:002006-06-27T21:49:56.530-05:00

As I discussed in yesterday's post, New York Times editor Bill Keller, in his editorial in defense of aiding in the leaking of highly classified information, lamented that the NYT was not critical enough of the Bush Administration's case for war in the beginning, and cited this as one compelling reason to publish the leak/article (despite seemingly overwhelmingly compelling reasons not to).In

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1151371133855187682006-06-26T18:41:00.000-05:002006-06-26T21:38:31.546-05:00

It has been business as usual at the NYT's this month. More slanted news reporting, more national security secrets leaked (read: federal crimes aided and abetted), more half-assed, nearly insulting lectures on the First Amendment (which the press believes it is the utmost authority on), and more insistence from its editors that they don't see what the big fuss is all about. At least in the cases

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1138346224087088922006-01-27T00:45:00.000-06:002006-06-26T20:50:38.306-05:00

Final Update: 7/26/2006After reading a number of very well-reasoned articles, blogs, etc, I have decided to recant my statement about banning the "Chinese Censors". I guess you could chalk it up to the premise that providing tainted food to the starving is better than giving them nothing at all.Regs,-The Analyst----------------Yes, boycott the censors I say! All of them.First it was Microsoft,

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1137196090940398612006-01-13T17:46:00.000-06:002006-01-13T17:48:10.950-06:00

Sorry everyone. Been really bogged down again lately, getting ready for school and getting a job and such. All apologies for having, like, the sparsest blog ever. I attempt - probably feebly - to make up for the lack of quantity with quality. Thanks for staying faithful, readers.Best Regards,The Analyst

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1135299109538521492005-12-22T18:45:00.000-06:002005-12-22T18:51:49.546-06:00

In a previous post, I called for the U.S. to do everything it could to help earthquake victims in Pakistan. I said it would improve the image of the U.S. in the nation whose madrasas birthed the Taliban and whose population is general radicalized and anti-American - i.e. an ideal breeding ground for terrorists. Indeed, persons involved in the London bombings were linked to Pakistan. Well, this

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1135057934053695462005-12-19T23:50:00.000-06:002005-12-19T23:52:14.063-06:00

The NYT offers a scathing indictment of the U.N.'s dovishness regarding Syrian interference in Lebanon. The article begins:Syria is getting away with murder in Lebanon, and the United Nations Security Council is letting it happen. (NYT)This is the part where I say, "I told you so."

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1134643732875575662005-12-15T03:38:00.000-06:002005-12-15T05:01:17.873-06:00

For decades now, conservative activists and libertarian-types (and some liberals) have been the primary voices of caution against the dangers to national sovereignty posed by global governance. Time and time again people like Thomas Sowell, Tom DeWeese, Cheryl Chumley, (all fine folks at Capitalism Magazine), and Alex Jones - to name just a few - have warned us about the often subversive

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1134634664450905602005-12-15T02:15:00.000-06:002005-12-15T02:17:44.463-06:00

Be sure to read this letter from Vasko Kohlmayer, an American citizen who defected from communist Czechoslovakia at the age of 19 and now works in London.Letter to an American Soldier(Hat tip: The American Thinker)

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1134631704842125912005-12-15T01:07:00.000-06:002005-12-15T17:40:44.006-06:00

In a way, two of today's top international headlines define a major part of the legacy of the United Nations - that of too much talk and too little action.While the U.N. "wrestles" with whether or not to broaden its inquiry (NYT) into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri (Scottsman), the people of Lebanon are mourning the death of yet another murdered Lebanese

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1134630008619368112005-12-15T00:34:00.000-06:002005-12-15T02:23:20.800-06:00

There are a number of things that are essential to maintaining progress in Iraq - economic development, improved security, and so on. Economists, politicians, and polemicists can measure these those things day in and day out, make speeches about them, and lobby for more and more of them. In the end though, none of that would be enough.There is something else. Something less tangible, something

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1134524225017501102005-12-13T19:27:00.001-06:002005-12-13T19:56:19.813-06:00

Here's a doozy for ya.Recently, the 8 Great Lakes States, along with two Canadian provinces, signed an agreement that would prevent all other states in the U.S. from having access to the water in the Great Lakes, which holds 90% of the U.S.' fresh water. (Forbes)The governors of the states are of course playing this up as an issue of 'conservation' and 'environmental protection', but one can't

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1134522220760571492005-12-13T18:51:00.000-06:002005-12-13T19:08:01.066-06:00

There has been a big stink recently about the U.S. allegedly paying Iraqi newspapers to print news stories about the positive things U.S. Forces are doing in Iraq.So I wondered to myself.... If paying Iraqi newspapers to recognize the positive achievements of U.S. Forces in Iraq is not acceptable, how else might we get this important message to the people of Iraq?My first thought was to simply

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1133637670030342352005-12-03T13:19:00.000-06:002005-12-03T13:21:10.040-06:00

What the hell are you doing reading this blog right now!? You should be watching the Texas Longhorns whoop up on the Colorado Buffalos in the Big XII Championship game on ABC right now! www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1133531573932661342005-12-02T07:47:00.001-06:002005-12-02T07:56:18.656-06:00

Two recent headlines highlight the progress of democracy in the Middle East of late.In Saudi Arabia, women were permitted to vote and run in elections for the first time. Two women were elected to the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce board - the first elected female officials in Saudi Arabia's modern history. (Los Angeles Times)Egypt has also held historic elections, though the elections were tainted

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1133128445632489652005-11-27T15:36:00.000-06:002005-11-27T15:55:37.070-06:00

I'm a little upset about this one, and I think most of you will back me up on this one.For more than 50 years, the leaders of veterans groups have met with a joint session of Congress to discuss legislation regarding our military's veterans, such as the GI Bill, healthcare, and so on. But this week, The Congress has decided that it no longer wishes to hear from its military veterans each year.

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1129516210962132582005-10-16T21:10:00.000-05:002005-10-16T21:30:10.970-05:00

Condoleeza Rice traveled to Russia this week to seek its support for referring Iran to the UN Security Council over its apparent attempts to build nuclear weapons, and also to seek its support in pressuring Syria on a number of issues, amongst other things. Russia flatly refused her on the issue of Iran.Russian support on the Iran issue was the U.S.' top priority by far. Why then did Condoleeza

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1129440819430121182005-10-16T00:27:00.000-05:002005-10-16T00:39:19.056-05:00

The mainstream media has finally begun to pick up on the OU suicide bomber story. They take a cautious but pretty balanced approach, which is probably best for now.The Wall Street JournalCNNBacktrack: The Media is Missing

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1129440356864969782005-10-16T00:21:00.000-05:002005-10-16T00:25:56.873-05:00

Recent events in Oklahoma and New York City have again focused the public eye on frightening possibility of another major terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Indeed, it seems quite plausible that we only narrowly escaped a major attack recently, when an engineering student named Joel Hinrichs blew himself within eye-sight of the University of Oklahoma's football stadium where 84,000 fans had gathered

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1129437854832810532005-10-15T23:39:00.000-05:002005-10-15T23:44:14.836-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted in the last couple of days folks! I just found out that I'll probably be leaving Iraq to head back to the States in about two weeks, so I've been spending most of my time making arrangements rather than reading the news and all. Leaving country and getting settled back in takes a bit longer than one might imagine, but once I do, I intend to spend a good deal more time

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1129148631718771192005-10-12T15:08:00.000-05:002005-10-12T15:23:51.723-05:00

UPDATE: EarthquakeThe Wall Street Journal today discusses what the U.S. is doing to help the victims of the earthquake in Pakistan this week.With the consent of the Pakistani government, the U.S. has jumped in with a $50 million pledge, an amount that may increase, according to Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan. The large initial response contrasts with the early days of the tsunami,

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1129095855035046122005-10-12T00:27:00.000-05:002005-10-12T00:44:15.043-05:00

A columnist for the National Review also thinks the U.S. should do all it can to help the people hit by the devastating earthquake that hit Pakistan this week, and sees an opportunity to improve the U.S.' image in the region by doing so. Let's face it: we can probably do more to improve the U.S.' image in the Muslim world by aiding in this disaster than Karen Hughes - President Bush's

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1129069460612463172005-10-11T17:13:00.000-05:002005-10-11T17:48:11.533-05:00

Prime Minister Ibrahim al Jafar's government has up to this point bungled the job of political reconciliation between the three main factions in Iraq - Kurds, Shi'ites, and Sunnis - and that fact has only prolonged the mostly Sunni insurgency. Today's events may be the first sign of a substantive political breakthrough in Iraq since its government was elected into office in January.In a crucial

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1129019797147894342005-10-11T03:20:00.000-05:002005-10-11T04:22:43.773-05:00

In my post, "A Conservative Argument for Leaving Iraq", I primarily addressed U.S. military/security strategy in Iraq. Something I have not yet addressed though is the political strategy.The fact is that bringing the Sunnis into the political circle is the only long-term solution to a secure and stable Iraq. The problem is that the U.S. currently has very limited options for affecting the

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1128895524517431032005-10-09T16:36:00.000-05:002005-10-09T17:37:43.656-05:00

The death toll resulting from the massive earthquake that hit south Asia this week has risen rapidly from initial estimates of 3,000 now to 20,000, and the number may continue to rise. Unlike the reporting during Hurricane Katrina, the press seems to be accurately assessing the damage that this natural disaster has caused. (No claims or racism have yet emerged.)The country that seems to have

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1128844582501941042005-10-09T02:20:00.000-05:002005-10-09T02:58:18.350-05:00

I....I'm nearly at a loss for words.A Brazilian court will consider a psychic's claim that the U.S. government owes him a $25 million reward for information he says he provided on the hiding place of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. "Jucelino da Luz alleges that the U.S. armed forces only found Saddam based on his letters that provided his exact location, the very hole where he was hiding in

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1128841911208658182005-10-09T01:59:00.000-05:002005-10-09T02:11:51.213-05:00

There appears to be some resolution finally as to why NYC officials thought that a terrorist plot by three people in Iraq - two of whom had already been captured - to plant 19 briefcase and stroller bombs in the NYC subway system was credible. In my previous post, I mentioned that four people Iraqi suspects were captured, and wondered if the NYPD had other information about the 14 other suspects

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1128840437157998072005-10-09T01:28:00.000-05:002005-10-09T01:47:17.163-05:00

I just wanted to give a formal shout-out and a huge thank-you to Mark Tapscott, a "veteran journalist and blogger" according to Michelle Malkin's blog, and the Director, Center for Media and Public Policy and the Marilyn and Fred Guardabassi Fellow at The Heritage Foundation. He was recently gave me a generous plug on his blog, Tapscott's Copy Desk, and has been very supportive of my fledgling

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1128825694041652512005-10-08T21:34:00.000-05:002005-10-10T16:06:41.733-05:00

Victor David Hanson - someone whose work I admire greatly - echoed in an article yesterday the "welfare affects argument" I discussed in "A Conservative Argument for Leaving Iraq".The key to stabilizing Iraq has been to promote the autonomy of Iraqi security forces — impossible if they are ensured that 300,000 or so American combat troops will do their fighting for them. And in this type of

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1128810834054006282005-10-08T17:06:00.000-05:002005-10-12T16:44:36.286-05:00

I was extremely reluctant at first to latch onto the notion that Joel Hinrichs, the 21-year old OU student who blem himself up last week outside of the packed OU football stadium, was a terrorist who blew himself up in part of a terrorist plot.Now though, the evidence (and here) seems to indicate that the bloggers have been precisely on point, while the mainstream media has been severly lacking

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1128807499409172002005-10-08T16:06:00.000-05:002005-10-08T16:49:39.593-05:00

After loosing the Red River Shootout (changed this year to the more politically correct Red River Rivalry ) to OU the last five years in a row - including a 12-0 shut-out last year, the #2 ranked University of Texas Longhorns routed the Oklahoma University Sooners 45-12 today. The 33 point lead ties the record for margin of victory in the series, and makes #2 Texas a near shoe-in for another trip

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1128749289314851902005-10-08T00:04:00.000-05:002005-10-08T00:35:45.396-05:00

Andrew F. Krepinevich Jr. has an article in the Sep/Oct 2005 issue of Foreign Affairs, titled "How to Win in Iraq", in which he discusses a strategy that would see U.S. troops reducing their footprint/activity in major offensive - hit and run - operations and focusing more on protecting Iraq's critical infrastructure and government. It provides one possible example of the strategy which I elluded

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1128722192781789902005-10-07T16:35:00.000-05:002005-10-07T19:22:59.813-05:00

Another suspect has been aprehended here in Iraq by U.S. forces, the NYPD is canvassing the city with security, and NY Governor George Pataki has also called in the National Guard to assist as well. However, there seems to be some disconect between local and federal officials with regards to the whether or not this threat was imminent and required such immediate large-scale action.The disconnect

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1128648469065835532005-10-06T20:20:00.000-05:002005-10-07T16:33:15.070-05:00

It turns out that the NYC Subway threat was a result of information gathered from recent arrests - in Iraq.U.S. intelligence officials said U.S. forces earlier in the week had raided a base belonging to Ansar al Islam, a small group linked to al-Qaida comprised of Islamic extremists from Iraq's Kurdish minority, in the city of Musayaf, south of Baghdad.The raid recovered information that 19

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1128635564548971912005-10-06T16:41:00.000-05:002005-10-06T22:28:55.260-05:00

NYPD Commisioner Ray Kelly has reported that there is a "credible threat" to NYC - specifically its subway system. (Reuters)To me, the timing of this threat and its apparent credibility suggest the distinct possibility that this threat is a result of information gathered from recently killed/captured terrorists/jihadists.Threats derived from computers, documentation, or other sources exploited

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1128554774582623282005-10-05T18:18:00.000-05:002005-10-06T22:31:15.600-05:00

The LA Times reports that top U.S. Generals have also put forward the Welfare Affects Argument and suggested reducing the military's footprint in Iraq in recent meetings with Congress:During a trip to Washington, the generals said the presence of U.S. forces was fueling the insurgency, fostering an undesirable dependency on American troops among the nascent Iraqi armed forces and energizing

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1128396175330988122005-10-03T21:41:00.000-05:002005-10-06T22:34:30.746-05:00

There are a number of angles from which to examine this issue. We already know that many Republicans and Democrats are upset with the nomination of Harriet Myers. It seems that few people are optimistic at this point. So what was Bush thinking!?!?Angle 1: My initial thought was that the president would nominate a woman or a minority - a strictly conservative one - and force the Democrats to vote

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16028245.post-1128385314480698492005-10-03T19:19:00.000-05:002005-10-03T20:29:35.806-05:00

Conservatives have long been known for arguing the perils of the welfare state. An over-emphasis on welfare programs, conservatives (and many liberals) argue, leads to a culture of dependency that discourages private or personal investment while erecting inefficient and entrenched bureaucracies that feed off of ever-more taxpayer dollars. Why would anyone work, conservatives ask, when the

The Analysthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04356338764890187489noreply@blogger.com2