March 20, 2006

Condi won't run in 2008

Posted by Jon Ham at 6:51 PM

I know that because I just heard on Fox News that Paul Tagliabue is stepping down as commissioner of the NFL, a job that Condi has coveted for years.

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Kennedy Lied?

Posted by Joseph Coletti at 4:09 PM

James Taranto (second item) reminds us of predictions gone wrong by Ted Kennedy and others about casualties in Iraq. The statements also serve as a reminder that fear of Saddam's lunacy and weapons led some to oppose an invasion.

• "In launching a war against Iraq now, the United States may precipitate the very threat that we are intent on preventing--weapons of mass destruction in the hands of terrorists. If Saddam's regime and his very survival are threatened, then his view of his interests may be profoundly altered: He may decide he has nothing to lose by using weapons of mass destruction himself or by sharing them with terrorists. . . . Saddam may well hide his most lethal weapons in mosques, schools and hospitals. If our forces attempt to strike such targets, untold numbers of Iraqi civilians could be killed."--Ted Kennedy, Sept. 27, 2002

• "Up to four million people could die in a war on Iraq involving nuclear weapons. A more contained conflict could cause half a million deaths and have a devastating impact on the lives, health and environment of the combatants, Iraqi civilians, and people in neighbouring countries and beyond. It could also damage the global economy and thus indirectly harm the health and well-being of millions more people across the world."--executive summary, "A New Gulf War: The Real Cost," Medact ("a UK-based charity taking action on key global health issues"), Nov. 13, 2002

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Don't Color Them Free Yet

Posted by Joseph Coletti at 3:12 PM

Is Belarus about to end the reign of Europe's Last Dictator, Aleksander Lukashenko, in another color revolution? After Lukashenko declared himself victor in yesterday's election, the street protests started, but the Economist doesn't expect much. The OSCE has declared the election to be neither free nor fair and the White House has called for new elections. Official protests from the US, however, have been lodged often in the last few years and he's still there.

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Happy Springtime!

Posted by Jon Ham at 1:26 PM

Just wanted to have the first official springtime post (it got here at 1:26 p.m. today).

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UNC: Let's Hold Hands and sing Ricky Skaggs

Posted by Shannon Blosser at 11:38 AM

UNC is holding a "Take Back the Pit" rally here in about 30 minutes in response to the recent terrorist attack at UNC-Chapel Hill where nine people were injured by a former student who wanted to punish the American government in the name of Allah.

If this is UNC-Chapel Hill's response that we've been hearing so much about, it's pretty lousy. There is nothing wrong about an event sponsored by UNC-Chapel Hill to help students who may not understand why a former student would commit an act of terrorism on campus. But to do so with someone possibly playing Ricky Skaggs' greatest hits just doesn't cut it. Not that there is anything wrong with bluegrass music, it's just not appropriate for the situation.

In all honesty, the "Pit" was taken back, as a friend of mine pointed out, the next school day when students were going about their business and showing the terrorist, regardless of how many there were, that they would not be intimidated.

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Stop and think

Posted by Paul Chesser at 06:51 AM

As Karen Palasek has written in the past, there are clear benefits to shirking, both for employer and employee -- and especially for think tanks.

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