While we’re waiting for the other shoe(s) to drop—the ones worn by the Joint Chiefs—it’s instructive to read this comment on the ISG report, in today’s (WSJ) Opinion Journal. Excerpt:
The whole ISG report is a spectacular punt. It contains a few broad, vague goals for our policy--and a whole range of specific recommendations for actions that are not in the power of the American government to take. It recommends, for example, that the Iraqi government "accelerate assuming responsibility for Iraqi security by increasing the number and quality of Iraqi Army Brigades," that the Iranian government "use its influence over Iraqi Shiite groups to encourage national reconciliation" and that the Syrian government "stem the flow of funding, insurgents, and terrorists in and out of
The members of the commission certainly hope that these governments will take those actions. But then again, they very well might not.
What the ISG offers us are mere aspirations, with no serious consideration of the concrete means required to fulfill those aspirations.
After listening/watching nearly a week’s worth of incessant babbling on the part of the ISG co-chairmen and media pundits, I’ve arrived at the same conclusion as Mr. Tracinski, the author of the piece linked above. The ISG report is worse than useless, it’s fundamentally counter-productive and doesn’t say a damned thing that hasn’t already been said before. Further, if the
I’m certain that most of what the Joint Chiefs will say will be classified. I’m also waiting with baited breath for the unclassified summary. And I’m hoping they’ll recommend a change in course to achieve victory. One of the first steps would be to kill Moqtada al-Sadr, which we should have done, oh, two years ago. Just sayin’…
Morgan and I had an off-line exchange about cars yesterday after he linked my Prius post below. I want to point out to all y’all that Morgan is quite the exception to the (general) American practice of replacing one’s automobile every two or three years, what with being the satisfied owner of an 18 year old Toyota with over 328,000 miles on the clock. That’s amazing, isn’t it?
I’m a “buy and hold” sort of guy when it comes to cars, providing I like the car. I love the Green Hornet, and I’ve owned her for over six years now. Previous automotive love-objects included a 3-series BMW I had for ten years and a Corvette I owned for seven years. But I don’t think I’ll ever come close to 18 years and 300K miles!
I was well and truly unmotivated yesterday and still am, to a certain extent. I did accomplish one thing: I completed my Christmas shopping, such as it is. I’m remarkably unimaginative yet expedient in this area. Unimaginative in the sense that Amazon gift certificates aren’t exactly creative. But they are expedient, nu? No wrapping, instantaneous delivery, and simply full of choice and possibilities. God, I love the ‘net…
T’is the season… Radio Paradise played one my favorite seasonal songs this morning…Joni Mitchell’s “River.” It’s a simple song, just Joni and her piano. But it’s just sooo beautiful. The lyrics:
It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on
But it don't snow here
It stays pretty green
I'm going to make a lot of money
Then I'm going to quit this crazy scene
Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
I wish I had a river I could skate away on
I made my baby cry
He tried hard to help me
You know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty
Made me weak in the knees
Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on
I'm so hard to handle
I'm selfish and I'm sad
Now I've gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
I wish I had a river I could skate away on
Oh, I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby say goodbye
It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
I wish I had a river I could skate away on
Jingle Bells it ain’t. But it’s been a favorite of mine for 35 years now…
Today’s Pic: Another one of those great
Not many cars in this neck of the woods make 300k without rotting out. Not many even make it to 200k. Any car I have owned, and I've had a lot of old cars, made 150-175k tops.
ReplyDeleteI hear that, Laurie. Those Cally-for-nee-ah cars hardly ever see snow and salt, the main car-killer in the NE. Still and even, I completely disagree with The Clampetts when they sang "Callyfornia is the place you gotta be, so they packed up the farm and moved to Bev-er-lee..."
ReplyDeleteI tried posting a couple of times, but it didn't go through for some reason. I'll try again today. :)
ReplyDelete(It's giving me a hard time about my password, so I'll go the "other" route until I can figure out what's the matter).
That "spectacular punt" is a punt all right. Spectacular, though? I dunno.
I've heard tell about snow and salt. Here in Cally-for-nee-ah (at least where I am) it's ocean salt air and no garages that do our cars in. Not so bad as yours, though, Laurie.
I forgot all about sea-air salt, Bec. It's a problem, too...obviously. But not nearly the sort of problem driving over miles and miles of salt-encrusted highways and by-ways in the East/Mid-West...and leaving the accumulated crust on your car for a day or four before you (can) wash it off.
ReplyDeleteI don't miss it...at all!!
We sold my old Honda Accord a few months back to a guy who takes nice old cars to CA and re-sales them. The guy told us that it is difficult to find good used cars that are not rusted out in CA. Go figure.
ReplyDelete