A Foolish Appeaser

Barack Obama declared his intention to seek rapprochement with "moderate" elements within the Taliban to bring them into the political process and bring peace to Afghanistan. The idea that there are any Wahhab fanatics who comprise the Taliban-a collection of hardened Sunni extremists who are the most violent misogynists who have ever lived and who gladly employ horrific barbarism to advance Islamist tyranny,  who can be negotiated with, is absurd. These terrorists, who gladly hosted bin Laden and al Qaeda and offered him their protection even after the September 11 attacks, must be defeated on the field of battle. There is nothing to talk with them about-they are wanton murderers who kill under the guise of religion and enforce their will by publicly executing those who demur often by beheading as was the case when a twelve year old boy was made to sever the head of an alleged American spy with a dull blade. The Taliban murdered a woman because her profession was dancing. If it took re-instituting the draft to put sixteen million men under arms as we had during World War II, it would be worth it to rid the world of this atavistic scourge. There are no moderate Taliban to engage any more than there were moderates among the Iranian ruling cadre during Iran-Contra.  Our Secretary of State rushed this week to appease the recently aggressive Russia, blaming the breakdown in relations between the countries not on Russia's bad actions that included invading a former Soviet republic, cutting off natural gas to neighbors in the heart of winter, and a campaign of murder against critics including reporters in Russia and even a former Russian agent in London, but on the Bush forty-three administration for a supposedly bellicose anti-Russian posture that never existed. Relations worsened with Moscow solely because Russia is turning herself back into an aggressive tyranny just as she was in the bad old Cold War days under the imprimatur of Soviet Communism. It is a shame there are no Jack Kennedys or "Scoop" Jacksons left in our ruling party who seek to confront and defeat evil in the world, rather than seek a cowardly compromise with it.

Pillory Hillary Please

Confirmation hearings for Hillary Clinton will hardly be probing and she will doubtless be confirmed. She and Bill, who was disbarred as I recall, will not have to account for any past action (transgressions such as the cattle futures payoff coup, the Rose law firm billing records, the Loral sell the Chinese accurate missile delivery capacity fiasco, or anything else). The future conflict of interest issue will not be addressed either with the Clinton Library being allowed to release an annual list of contributors but not the amounts they are giving. Perhaps the amounts don't matter, anyone who would sell the Lincoln bedroom could be bought cheap. Obama and the Clintons have said that Clinton will thus disclose more than any other former President which is utter sophistry as no other former President has had a wife seek the high office of Senate or the lofty position (perch for her as I see her as a carrion-munching vulture) of US Secretary of State. It is however a done deal, the cowardly lion Republicans won't press her hard on any of these issues or on the arcane Constitutional provision of her voting to raise the Secretary of State's salary while she was in Congress which should technically disqualify her. She's in, don't sweat the details and so is gun-banning, pardon pusher Eric Holder as Attorney General. After being accused of wanting to starve children and kill old people, all but a handful of the Republicans have lost the stomach for the fight. So when they have Hillary in the cross hairs, don't expect them to miss-they're afraid to even take the shot. And the press doesn't care to look too hard either, they have become the boot lick, lick spittle, toady lapdogs, a totally owned subsidiary of the Democratic party. A conservative opposition party in Washington which used to be the GOP is long past due.

My Modest Proposal

Two high-recognition seats are available in the US Senate, Hillary's New York seat and Obama's up for bid vacancy. The movie Strangers on a Train suggests a solution Jonathan Swift would have been proud of. Let Caroline Kennedy, who has not been touched by a dint of scandal, fill the Illinois seat. The Kennedys had long standing ties to the Windy City through the ownership of the Merchandise Mart from 1945 until 1998 -much deeper ties than the Clintons ever had to New York before Hillary became their carpetbag Senator. Caroline could be appointed or could win a special election by virtual acclamation, and the Republicans would trot out a milk carton candidate like Rick Lazio to oppose her, never heard of before or since. Then Governor Paterson could appoint someone who actually has some experience in government to fill Hillary's ample seat. Perhaps, the former President, Bill could fill this role, surely the first time he has performed this onerous duty in years.

What It Takes

This morning Diane Sawyer bantered with Stephanopoulos that Blagojevich had to be delusional to discuss Presidential aspirations in his secretly taped conversations. Why delusional? The US just elected a junior Senator who had ducked tough votes in both the Illinois legislature and in the Senate with numerous "present" votes except on infanticide where Obama stood for denying medical care for infants who had somehow survived abortion attempts. Hillary's parley of taking a few dollars and turning it into $100,000 in the cattle futures market has become legend but never raised eyebrows as a possible payoff and did not disqualify her from seeking the highest office. The Resko scandal and Obama's criminal cronies did not slow him down. Was Obama more deeply involved in the septic malfeasance in Illinois or simply oblivious like Hogan's Heroes Sargent Shultz? Neither is very heartening in a nation's leader.

Foggy Bottom Blues

Obama's national security team marched out to much acclaim. Were we in a rational and aware world, Obama and his minions would provoke national insecurity. Jewish Zionists and their gentile supporters should feel the most disquiet. Her Hillaryness literally embraced and kissed Suha Arafat after she said Jews were gassing the Palestinians in a genocide attempt. The future Secretary of State never separated herself from her husband's pushing Israel to give the Palestinians 90% plus of the disputed territory including parts of Jerusalem when then Prime Minister Ehud Barak met Arafat. Incoming National Security Advisor General James Jones seemed to advocate almost exclusively for the Palestinians when he served as President Bush's Middle East envoy. The new administration will offer much carrot to the Arabs and very little stick. I fear Israel will be served up on a plate with the debate being only on how much of the baby to divide. Israel's leadership must stand up to whatever Obama throws at it, from the graduated loss of material military support, US funding, even if this extends to American Jews being denied Aliyah, the loss of American tourist entry, and the revocation of fund transfer to Israel. Even if faced with apartheid-type sanctions and international pariah status, Israel must retain her character as a Jewish state with Jerusalem as her undivided capital and continued Jewish habitation in Hebron along with facilitated access by Jews to their holy sites. On the current diplomatic front, Codeleezza Rice is being sent urgently to restrain India. I am sure the Indians will recognize the nuance that although the ISI founded the Laskar-e-Toiba, the Pakistani government did not immediately dispatch this group of Mumbai murderers. And the Indians will welcome this State Department subtlety that while Pakistanis want to harry India over Kashmir, they would never endorse wanton butchery like this weekend's bloodbath. And if India buys this premise and holds back, it will not throw fuel on the fire of terrorism from restive Muslims, Maoist separatists who now have an even higher bar to shoot for, and even Sikhs who recall the draconian measures India took against the Golden Temple at Amristar plotters and who will certainly be fully placated if Muslims are absolved just because one of their own sits as Prime Minister. Yes, sending the failed former National Security Advisor Rice as an emissary should work splendidly just as her effort to divine and deter 9/11 succeeded, her brilliant leadership swept in swift victory in Iraq, her knowledge of Russia where she holds her PHD foresaw and forestalled the malevolent force of Putinism right down to the aggression against Georgia. Oh, mighty India, the world's largest democracy and a rising economic power must embrace Rice's Christian platitudes about turning the other cheek. Oh, wait, Condi the powers in India don't understand that template. Shiva does not turn nor should India turn the other cheek.

Coming Gun Confiscation

Putative AG Eric Holder is a gun control fanatic. I don't care whether he advanced the pardon of Mark Rich without giving it due deliberation, any more than I care if the former Mrs. Rich ever visited the underside of President Clinton's desk. Democrats are corrupt. But I care very deeply when they steal my ability to protect myself and my family. By their criminal nature, felons are not concerned with a law on paper. They readily break those, but when my window is shattered at midnight, the housebreaker better be concerned when he hears me chamber a round-the last sound he will ever hear.

Department of State

Obama is purportedly pondering Hillary Clinton as his Secretary of State. She certainly exudes the warmth of a diplomatic personality. Why she is just like a wicker basket of newborn pu...copperheads. Let us never forget how she hugged and kissed Suha Arafat just after Mrs. Arch-terrorist had claimed the Jews (Israel) had used poison gas on Palestinians in attempted genocide. Of course, Democratic Secretaries of State do not face the same internal resistance as Republican administrations. Bush's Department could not find state department careerists to serve in Iraq and had to initiate an effort to draft them. Many openly protested and some even resigned. At least whoever Obama picks and those serving in the diplomatic corps will not try to undermine him. Just look how the last Democratic Secretary of State elevated the prestige of the nation by Madeline Albright mortifying the US by taking of her shoes and running in her skirt to try to prevent Yasser Arafat from leaving a peace conference. And don't get me started about her predecessor, facus vomitus partisan hack Warren Christopher. Bill Richardson would be a better choice than Her Rotten Clintoness, at least he has some experience being duped by the North Koreans, but the best choice would be George Mitchell who actually has helped bring peace someplace (Ireland).