Posted on 09/07/2002 3:27:35 AM PDT by backhoe
By JAMES TARANTO
'As Far as We Know'
First Jimmy Carter, now Bill Clinton. The 20th century's only impeached president "urged the Bush administration Thursday to finish the job with Osama bin Laden before taking on Iraq," the Associated press reports:
"Saddam Hussein didn't kill 3,100 people on Sept. 11," Clinton said. "Osama bin Laden did, and as far as we know he's still alive." . . .
Although Clinton told the audience he did not have access to current intelligence information about Iraq, he said news reports citing American officials say the al-Qaida network remained a threat.
"I also believe we might do more good for American security in the short run at far less cost by beefing up our efforts in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere to flesh out the entire network," Clinton said.
Perhaps he's right about "beefing up our efforts," but a policy of not hitting Saddam until we know Osama is dead is worse than dovish--it's cuckoo. Bin Laden may already be dead and we may never know it. And if Clinton means more generally that total victory over al Qaeda should be a prerequisite for an attack on Saddam, then his proposed policy would give the Iraqi dictator a powerful incentive to offer aid and comfort to al Qaeda. It's almost as bad an idea as the notion that America must first resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict before it can move against Saddam.
Gen. Daschle Fights the Last War
Meanwhile, the Washington Times quotes Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, who likens the U.S.-Iraq dispute to Vietnam:
"We learned the lessons of secrecy during Vietnam," Mr. Daschle, South Dakota Democrat, said in a morning press conference. "We learned the lessons of what it is to move without public support in Vietnam. And I would hope that we would not lose one American life because the American people were left in the dark" about the projected costs of attacking Iraq.
Well, old habits die hard. But it's hard to see in what sense the "lessons of Vietnam" are applicable here. There's an enormous difference, after all, between sending conscripts to wage a defensive war against a determined enemy backed by a rival superpower and sending volunteers to wage a war of liberation against a dictatorship that is a world pariah and that, on the evidence of the last war, commands little loyalty among its subjects.
'And I Don't Know'
"It's very disconcerting when you're standing there in the vegetable aisle and somebody comes up and says, 'I have an 18-year-old son and is he going to Iraq, and why?' And I don't know."--Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D., Calif.), quoted in the San Jose Mercury News
Uh, Zoe, maybe because he enlisted in the military?
Is This Reason Enough?
"A team of weapons inspectors, studying satellite photography, have identified several nuclear-related sites in Iraq where new construction or other unexplained changes have occurred since the last international inspections nearly four years ago," the New York Times reports, citing a "United Nations official."
Boy, I Love Losing Scuds
The New York Jets are three-point favorites this weekend in a season-opening road game against the Buffalo Bills. But Saddam Hussein, facing American and British jets, is an even bigger home underdog even than the lowly Bills, whose four-game Super Bowl losing streak began in 1991, contemporaneous with the Gulf War.
"A number of US and UK planes have taken part in an attack on a major Iraqi defence facility in the west of the country," the BBC reports. "There have been about 30 allied attacks against Iraqi installations this year. However, BBC defence correspondent Andrew Gilligan says Thursday's seems to have been much larger than normal." Western Iraq is where Baghdad is believed to keep its Scud missiles, which it used to attack Israel in 1991.
Three Cheers for Holland
"The Dutch cabinet has backed a possible United States attack on Iraq, even without a mandate from the UN Security Council," Radio Netherlands reports. Holland is the first nation to come forth with such a formal endorsement.
'The A-Team'
Richard Armitage, the deputy secretary of state, says "the United States would go after the group he called 'the A-team of terrorists,' " Reuters reports. "Hezbollah made the A-team of terrorists, maybe al Qaeda is actually the B-team," Armitage tells a Washington luncheon audience. "We're going to go after them just like a high school wrestler goes after opponents, we're going to take them down one at a time."
Who'da Thunk It?
"Arabic television station al-Jazeera said on Thursday it had confessions from two men it identified as members of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network claiming the group was responsible for the September 11 attacks," Reuters reports. The Qatar-based network says it'll air the interview--which United Press International says occurred in Karachi, Pakistan--next Thursday.
Of course, everyone already knew al Qaeda was behind the attacks, right? Wrong. Reuters still doesn't. Its article on the confessions contains the standard disclaimer that "Washington blames" al Qaeda for the attacks.
Our Editors the Saudis--II
Yesterday we noted that the Arab News had reprinted a New York Times op-ed piece by Mona Eltahawy on Islam in America. But the Jeddah-based paper cut this sentence, which appeared in the Times piece: "Many are fighting Saudi financing and the attempt to impose the puritanical Wahhabi school of thought on Muslims here." Now the Saudi paper has taken the piece down from its Web site entirely. All that remains on the page is six X's.
Bad PR for PR--II
O'Dwyer's PR Daily is continuing to have fun with the Saudi public-relations effort. "Osama bin Laden Was Bad Apple, Just Like Jim Jones" is the headline on a piece about a Saudi Embassy "Background FAQ" offering "information" about the kingdom. As in August, the reader responses are devastating: "This gives PR a bad name!" writes one reader.
Another, identified as "PR pro for many years," writes: "Yawn . . . Sounds like the same rhetoric that O.J. Simpson used when he was going to 'LOOK' for the real killers. All he had to do was look in the mirror. For the Saudi's [sic], they have to do the same." The Saudis' PR shops, Patton Boggs and its subsidiary Qorvis Communications, can't seem to get any respect, even within their own profession.
'Not to Put Too Fine a Point on It'
Laurent Murawiec, who told a Pentagon advisory board that the Saudis are America's enemy, has left the RAND Corp., the Jerusalem Post reports. "Laurent Murawiec has resigned from RAND and is no longer a RAND employee," a RAND spokesman tells the paper. "His departure had nothing to do with his July 10 presentation to the Defense Policy Board." Earlier, RAND had repudiated comments Murawiec made on a recording, which a site called ITP.net made available on the Web. Murawiec's comment, which ITP says came in a phone interview with Dubai-based journalist Massoud Derhally, was as follows:
"My experience of your part of the world is that most people hate the Saudis' guts, not to make too fine a point about it. Everybody knows they are a bunch of lazy a--h---s that are arrogant, too big for their shoes, which behave in a consistently disgusting manner. People in your region have told me that for twenty years. But I am not telling you anything new."
Murawiec claims he didn't say this to Derhally. "I gave no interview to that guy," he tells the Post. "Someone, without my authorization, taped things that I might or might not have said somewhere." Listening to the recording, it sounds as though Murawiec did talk to Derhally, but the controversial comment seems out of place. Murawiec explains the first 5 1/2 minutes of the conversation telling Derhally he can't say very much, then out of the blue we hear the harsh attack on the Saudis. (To which Derhally's response, incidentally, is "You will certainly find people in this part of the world who will agree with you, yes. I will not dispute that.")
In his article, Derhally quotes Murawiec as saying he's planning to write a book about Islam. Derhally goes on to observe, somewhat menacingly: "Contentious books about Islam have a nasty habit of coming back to haunt their author, as Salman Rushdie would attest. And this book would seem to promise some interesting opinions. Whether the 1.2 billion Muslims that follow the religion see 'eye to eye' with him, remains to be seen"
Nice Shot
The New York Post reports that all three Afghans whom U.S. soldiers shot yesterday were part of the assassination team trying to kill President Hamid Karzai.
You Don't Say--I
"Karzai Calls for Improved Security"--headline, Associated Press, Sept. 6
You Don't Say--II
"A year after the September 11 attacks, cities across the United States have taken steps to increase readiness for possible major terrorist strikes, yet concerns remain about their ability to respond to future attacks."--lead sentence, CNN.com report, Sept. 6
CNN's homepage is even better. It headlines the story "1 Year Later: Security Tighter" and bills this revelation as a CNN EXCLUSIVE.
You Don't Say--III
"Legacies of 9/11 Are Sad, Good, Bad"--headline, Al Neuharth column, USA Today, Sept. 6
Say What?--I
"Blair's trip to the U.S. ends a globe-trotting week that has revived memories of his extensive travels after the September 11 attacks on the U.S. when he threw himself into building an international terrorism against coalition."--Reuters, Sept. 5
Say What?--II
"Israelis Unapologetic This New Year"--headline, Associated Press, Sept. 6
Does anyone remember any headlines about how Muslims were unapologetic, say, last Ramadan?
In That Order?
A news photo shows Sen. Joe Lieberman, accompanied by Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy, speaking at a lectern bearing a poster promoting the Democratic agenda. The first line reads: "Protect Our Workers." The second line: "Protect Our Homeland."
That Can Be Arranged
"President Bush is today calling for replacing Arafat. Tomorrow he will send frigates and planes to remove Saddam Hussein and on the day after tomorrow he will point Israel at Syria and Lebanon. The day after that he will accuse President Mubarak. The US president will then choose the colour of our clothes, what food we eat, and maybe even whom we can marry."--Abdel-Bari Atwan, editor of Al-Quds, a London-based newspaper, quoted in the Guardian, Sept. 6
"No marriage may be valid between a Muslim person and a follower of Hinduism. In fact, this applies to all religions other than the divine ones, which are Islam, Christianity and Judaism. However, a Muslim man may marry a Christian or Jewish woman, but a Muslim woman may not marry anyone other than a Muslim."--advice columnist Adil Salahi, Arab News, Sept. 6
By Any Other Name
"German authorities have denied a Turkish couple's request to name their newborn son Osama bin Laden," the Associated Press reports. "German laws make it illegal for parents to give their children names that might dishonor them or harm their dignity."
We Get Results
Visa's homepage now lists Israel as being in the Middle East instead of Europe; we noted the error Wednesday. Mercedes, meanwhile, has replaced its map that excluded Israel with a collection of flags of Arab and Muslim countries. BMW's page that once labeled Israel as "Palestine" is still "under construction." We noted the Mercedes and BMW errors last month.
Berkeley Backs Down
University of California, Berkeley officials "back-pedaled Thursday on their plans for a Sept. 11 memorial after incurring national ridicule for a tribute that originally was to exclude signs of patriotism," the California Patriot reports:
As news of UC Berkeley's plans to exclude patriotic songs and the American Flag at next Wednesday's memorial spread across the country, Chancellor Robert Berdahl held a press conference extolling the campus's patriotism.
Berdahl also said the university would distribute red, white, and blue ribbons, as had originally been planned. The patriotic ribbons had, until yesterday, been scrapped and replaced with white ribbons so as to avoid offending students on campus.
Not content to announce the university's intentions, Berdahl, in his statement, lashed out at his student critics:
The central allegation of The California Patriot is that the University of California, Berkeley is unpatriotic in commemorating the events of September 11. This allegation is wrong. This allegation is an insult to everyone at this University. More importantly, this allegation is disrespectful to the thousands who lost their lives and disrespectful to the countless heroes who worked valiantly to save lives on that day. These American heroes inspired all of us and renewed our faith in the American spirit.
So there you have it: The Patriot questions UC Berkeley's patriotism, and UC Berkeley responds by questioning the Patriot's patriotism. We'll leave it to our readers to decide who is actually more patriotic.
Underclassmen
Check out the lead of this Chicago Sun-Times article on students who were truant on the first day of school:
Taking a stroll with her 6-year-old daughter past the Garfield Park Conservatory on Tuesday, Evelyn Smith could offer no explanation for why the girl was not with her fellow first-graders for the first day of school.
"I just didn't take her today," said Smith, 19.
Is it no longer shocking, or even worthy of note, that a girl would have a baby at age 13?
Zero-Tolerance Watch
"A high school wrestler was suspended from the sport and forced into alternative school because two pocket knives were found in the car he was driving," Oklahoma City's KOCO-TV reports. "David Mahan, 18, who wanted to attend college on a wrestling scholarship, has to leave Midwest City High School for one semester, school officials said. The teenager kept good grades and had no previous suspensions."
A Legal Gray Area
The online auction company eBay is considering a lawsuit against the campaign of Republican Bill Simon, who is challenging California's Gov. Gray Davis, over a parody Web site called eGray which offers "California laws for sale."
Simon's press secretary tells the Associated Press: "We think there are numerous differences, one of them being eBay clearly sells products to the public, while Gray Davis clearly sells public policy. The only similarities there are is they're both sold to the highest bidder. We stand by the Web site."
But an eBay spokesman says: "Obviously it has the look and feel of eBay without our permission. Whenever we see a situation like that we always take a good hard look at it."
Aw, c'mon, guys, you can defend intellectual property and still have a sense of humor. Consider this Q&A from the U.S. Copyright Office:
How do I protect my sighting of Elvis?
Copyright law does not protect sightings. However, copyright law will protect your photo (or other depiction) of your sighting of Elvis. Just send it to us with a form VA application and the $30 filing fee. No one can lawfully use your photo of your sighting, although someone else may file his own photo of his sighting. Copyright law protects the original photograph, not the subject of the photograph.
Alien Nation
Pravda is Russian for "truth," and a communist-era joke had it that there was no pravda in Pravda. Good thing that's changed. Or has it? The Russian paper picks up a story from a Russian-language Web site that "aliens took part in a military exercise in Arkansas":
Everybody saw the weird "enemy." The soldiers eventually contacted their command. The command kept silence for a long while, and then it was ordered to carefully watch the creatures without bringing harm to them.
"They were like little people, about one meter high. They looked absolutely white in the night vision devices. There was another such creature sitting on a stump, as if it was watching the crawling ones. At first I thought that they were wearing some kind of helmets. But then I realized that they were not helmets, but their long, egg-like heads. I could even see their big black eyes with no eye-balls. It also seemed to me that they had two little holes instead of a nose. I did not see a mouth. They had four fingers on their hands." The officer also said that a helicopter arrived soon and took the "little people" away.
The command strictly ordered everyone to maintain silence about the event. The American officer was struck with what he saw. He did not say anything about it for two years. Who were those creatures? What were they doing among military men? How far did it all go?
You have to admit, though, little green men are a lot more entertaining than red propaganda.
(Elizabeth Crowley helps compile Best of the Web Today. Thanks to Jerome Marcus, Marie Bourgeois, Jim Orheim, Michael Segal, Darren Gold, Damian Bennett, John Lott, Gad Meir, Balaji Srinivasan, C.E. Dobkin, Raghu Desikan, Michiel Visser, Howard Weiser, Natalie Cohen, Rosanne Klass, Amir Agam, Bennett Ruda, Kevin McCauley, Irene Margolin-Katz, S.E. Brenner, Monty Krieger, Carl Sherer, Yehuda Hilewitz, Mikael Nussdorf, Gershon Dubin, Dante Giancola, Kirk Petersen, Gordon David, Timothy Kauffman, Joel Engel, Nathan Sales, Romesh Chander, Gregory Taylor, David Simon, Bob Fultz, Seth Norman, Richard Haisley, Arnold Nelson, Bob Jacobsen, Milo Grummons, Aviva Ross, Aaron Gross, Michael Wasylik, Brian Azman and Dan Fendel. If you have a tip, write us at opinionjournal@wsj.com, and please include the URL.)
Today on OpinionJournal:
And on the Taste page:
And don't miss "WSJ Editorial Board With Stuart Varney," tonight at 9 EDT and PDT on CNBC.
You can also review OpinionJournal's privacy policy here.
If you have been forwarded this e-mail and wish to subscribe click here.
It's difficult to pick a "favorite"...so many choices;^)
My husband brings the WSJ home from work, but usually a few days later, so usually I depend on the web for those great editorials and columns.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.