Sunday Evening Sundries

I run, Iran

According to The Washington Times, Iranians are “riveted” to the U.S. presidential race. Yeah, I'll bet. They know that if McCain wins, they'll have approx. 2 ½ months to move elsewhere before he turns their homeland into a sea of glass. I guess they could try Iraq. Oh, no, wait – how about Afghanistan? No... Pakistan? Doubtful. They really need to go somewhere they won't be in imminent danger of being carpet bombed by the U.S. Air Force. How about Georgia? Can they all fit? Might be worth a try.

Dial B for Bipolar

Turns out a woman who claimed she was attacked because of her McCain bumper sticker is some kind of nut case. The first clue – which everyone missed – was that the letter “B” (for Barack, I guess) that the attacker carved on her cheek was backwards, i.e. a mirror image – more or less what you'd expect if the person actually did the work herself. “But it looked right in the mirror!” It's people like this who give the McCain campaign a bad name. Oh, wait – everyone in the campaign is like this. Never mind.

The Blue Surge

It keeps coming up, even at this late date – the notion that because the “troop surge” in Iraq “worked” -- by someone's criteria – it was a good idea, and anyone who criticized it at the time was wrong, and the people who advocated it have been vindicated, and we should vote for them and not for those other lily-livered cowards, pessimists, and naysayers. But this is to completely miss the point, which is why are we in Iraq in the first place? It shouldn't matter what “works”, or what fails, when we're judging the validity and legality of our incursion into Iraq. The question remains, should we have gone over there, and should we be staying there – regardless of results. This is a distinction no one in our military can ever possibly understand – but that's OK because they're military, and “understanding” is not in their job description. But our politicians and leaders are a different matter – they're paid to think, among other things. And right now clear thinking about the “status” of the Iraq operation is in very short supply.

Dems and D-Con

“Scientists have developed a way to erase specific memories in mice while leaving others intact.” But can, or should, this technology be extended to human beings? The scientists involved say no to both. But I'm not so sure the Democratic National Committee isn't already studying this as a potential way to make people forget what happens every time they elect a Democrat to office.

President Placebo

So was Joe Biden right that Obama will be “tested” by the terrorists soon after he takes office? My question is, what would be the point? Obama will be part of the same Regime that coughed up (like a hair ball) George W. Bush, and his approach to the Near East will not differ significantly from what we have already seen for the last eight years. Or maybe the terrorists haven't yet figured that out. But since they've been playing Bush & Co. like a violin all this time, that seems unlikely. When it comes to domestic issues, Obama may at least attempt to act as an “agent of change”. But foreign policy-wise, the transition will be as smooth as that passing of the baton in a relay race... for the simple reason that the American president really has little if anything to say about American foreign policy. That is left to much finer minds – those who have the long view of things. And no one's going to get into office who is not willing to capitulate to their higher wisdom.