Category Archives: Political Commentary

John Kerry, Nuanced Diplomat

The Senator seems to think that he knows what’s going on in Iraq better than the Iraqi Prime Minister.

Of course, he probably just thinks that Allawi is an illegitimate puppet installed by the imperialist criminal Bush regime.

[Update at 2:20 PM EDT]

It was in response to this amazing question by a reporter:

Prime Minister Allawi told Congress today that democracy was taking hold in Iraq and that the terrorists there were on the defensive. Is he living in the same fantasy land as the president?

Did anyone hear this? Was the question serious, or was it veiled sarcasm at Kerry’s description of the president’s views? I can’t tell from just the words–one would have to hear the tone as well.

If the former, if the press thinks that this is helping their candidate, they’re living in a fantasy land.

similar thoughts.

It would seem that Mr. Kerry is only interested in cultivating “allies” whose foreign policy is opposed to that of the US, while treating with contempt our actual allies in this war (Britain, Australia, Italy, and now Iraq).

I don’t think that’s going to play well on November 2nd.

Too Much Time On Their Hands?

Did I miss the story about all political prisoners being released from prisons in dictatorships around the world? Has torture come to an end on the planet?

If not, then how to explain Amnesty International’s new-found preoccupation? Remind me of their priorities next time they send me a fund-raising letter.

[Update on Tuesday morning]

In comments, Derek Lyons writes:

…if any of you had actually paid any attention to AI over the years, you’d know well that the US isn’t a ‘new found obsession’, nor is their sole focus…

…If Rand actually bothered to read the article he linked to, he’d find the report was issued by AI-USA, not AI. I myself find it unsurprising that a ‘local’ group concentrates on ‘local’ issues.

I must have missed the part where I said the US was a “new-found obsession”, Derek. I was referring to racial profiling, not the US. I know that AI has long considered the US to be the major human rights violator on the planet.

The point isn’t about it being a “local issue.” It is about dealing with trivia when there probably are people actually unjustly in prison, even in this nation. Why don’t they do something about the prison rape problem, which would be more in line with their original charter? I see this as mission creep to justify their existence and fund raising.

The Last Word On Authenticity

That’s what this should be. Unfortunately, there are too many people determined to go down with the Kerry/Rather Swift Boat to allow it to be.

Also reader Mike Puckett points out that the reward for the ability to reproduce these documents with equipment available in that era (let alone likely to be found in a National Guard office and usable by an officer) is now up to over seventeen thousand dollars. Come on, “Hunter“, it’s easy money, right?