like the violence in Iraq has calmed down. Read Juan Cole for more here . If I were Bush and my ratings went down as much after speeches as his did after that "Surge" speech last week I'd think about skipping the State of the Union Speech. ;)

We even buy from Vietnam. So what's the big deal with conservatives about Cuba?

Why are conservatives still pissed at a home grown revolutionary who kicked out a corrupt and undemocratic regime back in the 50's? Why? Because Cuba's so close to the US? Because he couldn't be bought?

China is a much bigger threat to the US interests. Me? I think it's because the rightwingers think this is one country we can financially ruin and get back.

Here's the thing. The people in Cuba....they don't like the financial straight jacket we've fitted them with, but they don't blame Castro for it. They like the system they have down there. It's the American Cubans that righties are appealing to because they still have a hard time swallowing the fact that they lost.

We should trade with and travel to Cuba just like China. If you claim we shouldn't, tell us why you aren't being hypocritical.

titled The Very Bad Idea, part II .

Salon.com just this weekend it appears. You really should read what he has to say.

I don't have that answer. From this article in Haaretz.com, I can't understand why they wouldn't continue to pursue this. It seems to give Israel everything it wanted and was certainly much more advantageous in it's terms to Israel than to Syria.

WTF?

Obama has declared.. I think.

The tension between America and Iran is caused in part by Iran’s activities in Iraq. Dick Cheney, the vice-president, said on January 14th that “It's been pretty well known that Iran is fishing in troubled waters, if you will, inside Iraq, and the president has responded to that.” The arrest of the men in Arbil mirrored a round-up of Iranians in Baghdad last month. After that incident, two who turned out to be diplomats were soon released and the rest were kicked out of the country.

from The Economist

It is also pretty well known Mr. Cheney that the US is fishing in troubled waters in Iraq.

The reality is how much of a threat is Iran to the US. They have a small GDP, a small population, 70% of which is opposed to their fanatical leader, and a fanatical leader who responds in kind with the sort of "cowboy politics" that Bush has engaged in for the last six years.

Attacking Iran would be sheer foolishness. And who realizes this, Mr. Freedom Fries, Walter Jones, who is sponsoring a Joint Resolution, that states

"No provision of law enacted before the date of the enactment of this joint resolution shall be construed to authorize the use of military force by the United States against Iran."

If the US attacks Iran, will it push the moderate pro-Western secular young population, that makes up a large part of their population to rally around an unpopular loud mouth President of Iran.

Walter Jones sponsors a Joint Resolution to Limit the Presidents Authority.

The Rules of Engagement

As Sun Tsu wrote, know thy enemy, know thyself, in a thousand battles, a thousand victories. Going into Iraq, our leaders did not know our enemy. They do not really seem to have known America.

from Pat Buchannon The American Conservative

Why in light of everything that has transpired is this administration being so disrespectful to the will of the people, ignoring laws, circumventing the constitution, and thumbing their noses at world opinion.

Most astonishing is that they still continue to do so. Do they really know America?

Their is a concerted effort by both the left and the right to stop this administration from Executive Overreach. May it be successful.

Wonderful news.

One of my favorite Senators. Why?

Because I think he can stand up to these people to help extract the US from the impending war in the middle east.

Marxists' Apartment A Microcosm Of Why Marxism Doesn't Work

The filthy, disorganized apartment shared by three members of the Amherst College Marxist Society is a microcosm of why the social and economic utopia described in the writings of Karl Marx will never come to fruition, sources reported Monday.

hahaha

is beginning:

Saudis consider sending troops to Iraq
Government ‘deeply skeptical’ al-Maliki can make Bush surge plan work

Saudi Arabia believes the Iraqi government is not up to the challenge and has told the United States that it is prepared to move its own forces into Iraq should the violence there degenerate into chaos, a senior U.S. official told NBC News on Tuesday.

Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal made no effort to mask his skepticism Tuesday about President Bush’s proposal to send 21,000 more U.S. troops to Iraq to stem sectarian fighting.
. . .
In fact, Saudi leaders are privately “deeply skeptical” that the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki could implement the U.S. plan, the senior U.S. official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell, who is traveling with Rice.

The Saudi government has signaled in the past that it would oppose an early withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, fearing it would leave minority Sunni Muslims at the mercy of Shiite Muslim militias.

The Saudis’ primary concern is the Sunni population of Anbar province, the senior U.S. official. The official said the Saudis had informed Washington that they were considering a plan to send troops into the province if Bush’s plan failed.
First Saudi Arabia will send troops to protect the Sunnis, then Iran will follow to protect the Shiites, then all hell breaks out in the region just as liberals have predicted for months if not years.

Is this the plan to acquire the entire region's oil, as it did not make sense that Cheney was dividing up the oil fields of Saudi Arabia (along with Iraq's in 2001) if we had no possibility of getting them. Perhaps this was the plan all along.