Category: long story short

China’s Hu takes Army reins Former President Jiang Zemin resigned his post as head of military Sunday CSM, 9/20/04 “Jiang,…was China’s top ruler until 2002 – when he gave up his post to President Hu….Yet Jiang, still regarded as the most powerful politician,…had retained a firm grip on the Central Military Commission. “Jiang’s half-in, half-out…

At least Zogby gives you some analysis instead of raw, nearly context-free numbers alone. Interesting how even with an average lead near the margin-of error, Bush is often behind in the state-by-state electoral tallies du jour. Worst possible outcome: electoral-college tie that enables Hastert to declare reelection by a majority of state delegations.

If you’re trying to call me on my mobile phone I may miss the call for a few days. The thing doesn’t ring anymore and its about to come to pieces. I’m also about to swith carriers but shhhh! don’t tell Verizon.

Army Defends Baghdad Battle That Left 16 Dead, LA Times, 9/16/04U.S. commanders acknowledged Wednesday that their helicopters fired seven rockets and 30 high-caliber machine-gun rounds onto a crowded Baghdad street this week during a battle that killed 16 Iraqis…Military officials here have adamantly denied Iraqi charges that U.S. forces…fire indiscriminately…[US] soldiers are fighting a guerrilla…

Rumsfeld Downplays Detainee Mistreatment, AP, 9/10/04 “Amid allegations he fostered a climate that led to the prison abuse scandal, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Friday that the military’s mistreatment of detainees was not as bad as what terrorists have done. “‘Does it rank up there with chopping someone’s head off on television?’ he asked.…

In just a few hours I’ll be getting in a cab to head for JFK to fly home to Oakland on JetBlue. I am way ready to be home. I miss my life. It appears that I missed the killer dry-heat wave too, though I caught the killer humid-head wave here. Both waves appear to…

Looks like Bush and his team are trying to back out of one of the three already-agreed-upon debates: Political Wire: Bush May Skip One Debate: President Bush “may skip one of the three debates that have been proposed by the Commission on Presidential Debates and accepted by Sen. John F. Kerry (D-MA),” the Washington Post…

Increasingly, we are fighting a war to defend the right of American troops to enter Iraqi cities. Per this 9/5/04 NYT article… One by One, Iraqi Cities Become No-Go Zones “In Iraq, the list of places from which American soldiers have either withdrawn or decided to visit only rarely is growing: [Samarra,] Falluja,…Ramadi,…the holy Shiite…

Today, US Maj. Gen. Peter Chiarelli put “an American face” on the most fateful decision shaping the future of Iraq. Per this AP story… Commander: Fight with Al-Sadr Not Over AP, 9/2/04 “The fight with renegade Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is not over and the U.S. military must retake his stronghold in Baghdad’s Sadr City…

The worst violence in Iraq is consistently touched off in places where there is contact between the opposing forces. If UN peacekeepers (perhaps recruited from predominately Christian nations) could just contain the Americans in unpopulated areas, violence could be curtailed. Another possibility would be to allow US troops into the cities and evacuate the Iraqis.…

The DEA is scrambling to explain reports that a number of dogs in its employ have been found sniffing drugs.

Democrat ‘Ashamed’ He Helped Bush, AP, 8/29/04 “Bush…has said he received no special treatment and did not seek help to be admitted to the Guard….” “White House spokesman Scott McClellan said….’This was fully covered and addressed five years ago. It is nothing new.’ “Five years ago, Barnes’s lawyer issued a statement saying Barnes had been…

[I sent this as a Letter to the Editor of the NYT. today] You said, accurately, in your editorial, “The Road to Confrontation in Najaf,” 8/21/04… “[This] showdown began…because of serious lapses in the American military command structure in Iraq….when a newly arrived Marine Expeditionary Unit in Najaf started skirmishing with Moktada al-Sadr’s Shiite militia…

Following up on Boris Khadinov’s note about the pro-Bush ad that takes advantage of the Olympics: various blogs are now repeating a quote from the German magazine Der Spiegel (here translated by me). An unnamed IOC member says that because Bush won’t stop running the ad, “New York’s chances to host [the Olympics in 2012]…

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Thank goodness for David Neiwert. He isn’t attracting the most attention among the scholars, journalists, and bloggers rebutting FOX-pundit Michelle Malkin’s defense of Japanese-American internment, but as always he is providing long-form cogent detailed critiques and summaries that will help anyone get up to speed on…

US intelligence sources have good news about the coming assault on the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf: –US troops entering the shrine are likely to be greeted with cheers by the militia members holding out inside. –The building itself will be protected from battle-damage by America’s new GARDOL Anti-Missile Shield. –US diplomat Paul Bremer will…

I don’t want to diminish anybody’s accomplishments with my expertise, but some of these contestants were VERY lucky there was another bar to grab on to.

I follow the Olympics very closely, and I notice that the race this year between the Golds, the Silvers, and the Bronzes is, as always, incredibly close–which makes it very exciting. My problem is don’t you get the feeling everyone is trying just a little bit too hard?

“Still, the phenomenon of Iraqis being shot simply because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time has been a recurring problem for the Americans.” Sadr City Sings Its Praises of Cleric, LA Times, 8/22/04

“[J]just 5% of Jordan’s 11,000-truck fleet was ferrying supplies to Iraq–down from 85% before the U.S.-led 2003 invasion.” Article

“US and Iraqi government forces have been forced out of Falluja, with the fighters of the insurgency now dominating Ramadi and Samarra and both sides fighting for control of Mosul.” Article