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The Wall Street Journal <http://s.wsj.net/img/wsj_print.gif> BEST OF THE WEB TODAY MAY 12, 2011 Faces of Justice Eric Holder does a 180 on bin Laden. * By JAMES TARANTO What do Eric Holder and Yasser Arafat have in common? No, the attorney general (unlike his boss) has not won a Nobel Peace Prize. And at a youthful 60, he should have quite a few years before he makes the inevitable transition to stable condition. [botwt0512] <http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-NW494_botwt0_C_20110512122642.jpg> BBC Holder on the Beeb In an interview with the <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13370919> BBC, Holder says the killing of Osama bin Laden was "not an assassination." That much is true; it was the legitimate killing of an unlawful enemy combatant. But Holder means something different. In the BBC interview, he claims, as the Beeb puts it, that "the operation was a 'kill or capture mission' and that Bin Laden's surrender would have been accepted if offered." "If the possibility had existed, if there was the possibility of a feasible surrender, that would have occurred," Holder says. "But their protection, that is the protection of the force that went into that compound, was I think uppermost in our minds." Sounds reasonable enough. But read this report from the <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/16/AR2010031603484.html> Washington Post, March 16, 2010: Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden "will never appear in an American courtroom," Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. told lawmakers at a hearing Tuesday. "Let's deal with the reality here," Holder said in response to aggressive questioning by Rep. John Culberson (R-Tex.). "The reality is we will be reading Miranda rights to a corpse." . . . Holder grew most heated, however, amid GOP attacks over the hypothetical capture of bin Laden. No law enforcement response would be necessary, Holder said, because "he will be killed by us or by his own people. I was being a little flippant. . . . He is not going to be alive." At the time, the administration was planning to move Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and other top terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to New York for trial in a civilian court. Culberson wanted to know in which venue the administration intended to try bin Laden if he was captured. Holder declined to answer on the ground that "the possibility just simply does not exist." Do not be misled by the rhetorical consistency between the two Holder statements. Yes, in both the congressional testimony and the BBC interview Holder denies the existence of the possibility of taking bin Laden alive. But the meaning of that denial is quite different in 2011 than in 2010. Now, it is a factual claim about bin Laden's behavior when U.S. servicemen confronted him. Last year, there was no way for Holder to know the circumstances of that confrontation, except inasmuch as he was privy to the administration's planning for it. Thus his 2010 denial of the possibility that bin Laden would be captured alive has to be understood as a statement of policy--one that contradicts what he now says the policy was. Perhaps there's an explanation. Maybe sometime after Holder's testimony, the administration developed a contingency plan in case bin Laden surrendered, having realized that it would be legally problematic to kill him if that happened. More likely, though, Holder is just changing his story to suit his audience. Which brings us back to Arafat, who was notorious for conciliating in English while inciting violence in Arabic. Holder seems to be doing the same thing--telling one story in English and the other in British, while forgetting that the two tongues are mutually intelligible. He is two attorney generals in one divided by a common language! <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_bin_laden> What Do Terrorists Want? The Associated Press reports that Osama bin Laden left behind a "personal, handwritten journal" and a "massive collection of computer files" that are now in U.S. hands. "Intelligence officials say it will take weeks, if not months, to go through them," the AP adds noting: They described the intelligence to The Associated Press only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly about what was found in bin Laden's hideout. Either they were authorized to talk publicly about everything but their own names or our intelligence officials are incredibly loose-lipped, because reports on this stuff are all over the news media. We were intrigued by this one from the <http://www.csmonitor.com/World/terrorism-security/2011/0512/Bin-Laden-journal-reveals-his-calculations-for-another-9-11-style-attack> Christian Science Monitor: The ongoing study of files recovered from Osama bin Laden's compound revealed that he wanted to plan another 9/11-scale attack on the US, which he hoped would shock the US into ending its presence in the Middle East. Hey wait, haven't we been hearing for years that bin Laden wanted the U.S. to increase its presence over there? We could have sworn we read just last week that "Osama bin Laden's motivation . . . was to draw the U.S. and the West into a prolonged war--an actual war in Afghanistan, and a broader global war with Islam." Where did we hear that again? Oh yeah, from <http://reason.com/blog/2011/05/02/osama-won> Radley Balko at Reason, in an article titled "Osama Won" in which he also scolded Americans for celebrating bin Laden's death instead of being "appropriate" and reacting with "solemn and somber appreciation." All we can say is: Woo-hoo! Wrong again, Balko! U-S-A! U-S-A! <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/us/politics/12prexy.html> Obama Comes Around, Maybe Yesterday <http://bit.ly/mO3XlB> we faulted President Obama's prospective new "Muslim outreach" effort because, among other reasons, "the White House is still debating . . . whether Mr. Obama should lay out a concrete plan for revitalizing the stalled Arab-Israeli peace process," according to the report in <http://bit.ly/l1gF1m> The Wall Street Journal. A day behind the Journal, the New York Times has a follow-up report, and it suggests the administration has moved in the right direction: White House officials had weighed a speech in which the president would link the upheaval to the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations--a process that seems, if anything, even more paralyzed after the recent agreement between the Palestinian Authority and the militant group Hamas. Given that, officials said, the current plan is for the president to keep his focus on the broader changes in the Arab world, rather than to present a specific new plan for reviving the peace talks. Imagine how much trouble the administration would have avoided if it had been this quick to follow our advice for the past 2½ years. <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110511/ap_on_en_mu/us_white_house_poets> Common Wisdom "Common" is the stage name of Ronnie Lashin Lynn Jr., a rapper who was invited to the White House as part of Michelle Obama's poetry evening yesterday. We hadn't written about the kerfuffle that ensued because it seemed overblown to us, and <http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-may-11-2011/tone-def-poetry-jam> Jon Stewart, of all people, convinced us our instinct was right. Then we saw a post by The Atlantic's <http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/05/i-feel-like-a-black-republican/238741/> Ta-Nehisi Coates, who is exasperated by the hullabaloo. Coates quotes a David White, who feels the same way: If they can try to paint Common as a 'dangerous black man,' what black man is immune? If they think Common is vile, then I know they have no use for my black ass. Common is beyond the pale, Michelle Obama hates whitey, Eric Holder is protecting the New Black Panther Party, Shirley Sherrod is discriminating against white farmers, Barack Obama is giving reparations to black people? Conservatives, do you realize how stupid this sounds to black people? (and I know that black people aren't the audience for that kind of talk, there's no need to point that out to me.) Seriously, you can't find less-threatening black people. When we read this, we recognized the feeling. It was similar to our reaction when we read this bit from <http://robertreich.org/post/5371106916> Robert Reich, the former labor secretary: Mitt [Romney] is reputed to say whatever an audience wants to hear, but that's not quite right. In reality he says nothing, but does it in such way audiences believe they've heard what they want to hear. He is the chameleon candidate. To call Mitt Romney an empty suit is an insult to suits. Yet Romney is gaining ground over Obama. According to the most recent Marist poll, in a hypothetical presidential matchup Obama now holds a one percent point lead over Romney, 46 to 45. In January, Obama led Romney by 13 points. Why is Mitt doing so well? Partly because Obama's positions are by now well known, while voters can project anything they want on to Mitt. It's also because much of the public continues to worry about the economy, jobs, and the price of gas at the pump, and they inevitably blame the President. But I suspect something else is at work here, too. To many voters, President Obama sounds and acts presidential but he doesn't look it. Mitt Romney is the perfect candidate for people uncomfortable that their president is black. Mitt is their great white hope. Romney isn't our favorite candidate either, but come on! Can't Reich criticize his onetime would-be rival (Reich lost the Democratic primary for Massachusetts governor in 2002) without the racial imaginings? Does he realize how stupid this sounds? As for the Common kerfuffle, we wonder if people have mixed him up with Common Cause, which actually does have a <http://bit.ly/hCA5x8> history of hateful rhetoric. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/09/business/economy/09insure.html?pagewanted=all> Bermuda 1, New York 0 This one put a smile on our face. Here's a story from Monday's New York Times: Companies looking to do business in secret once had to travel to places like the Cayman Islands or Bermuda. Today, all it takes is a trip to Vermont. Vermont, and a handful of other states including Utah, South Carolina, Delaware and Hawaii, are aggressively remaking themselves as destinations of choice for the kind of complex private insurance transactions once done almost exclusively offshore. Roughly 30 states have passed some type of law to allow companies to set up special insurance subsidiaries called captives, which can conduct Bermuda-style financial wizardry right in a policyholder's own backyard. The <http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20110512/BUSINESS02/705129958> Royal Gazette, which touts itself as "Bermuda's most trusted source for news & information," fires back today: The parent company of the New York Times which this week ran a page one story critical of "Bermuda-style financial wizardry" practised by corporations owning captive insurance companies in the US has a captive of its own, it emerged yesterday. Sure enough, <http://www.propertycasualty360.com/2011/05/11/ny-times-owns-new-york-domiciled-captive> PropertyCasualty360.com, a website published by the trade journal National Underwriter, reports that "the Times' captive, named Midtown Insurance Co., is listed as a consolidated subsidiary of The New York Times Co. in its 10-Q filing for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, filed Nov. 8, 2007 for the period ending Nov. 30, 2007." <http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2011/05/029020.php> Metaphor Alert "But there is a very large fly in this ointment; or, put another way, a very large shoe that has yet to drop. The Democrats have not yet proposed a budget. President Obama did deliver a FY 2012 budget, but it was dead on arrival as it did nothing whatever to deal with the looming budget crisis. It was the equivalent of punting on first down."--PowerLineBlog.com, May 11 <http://newsbusters.org/blogs/ken-shepherd/2011/05/11/msnbc-contributor-fineman-was-mistake-obama-urge-voters-judge-him-his-> Out on a Limb "MSNBC Contributor Fineman: Was 'Mistake' for Obama to Urge Voters to Judge Him on His Performance in Office"--headline, NewsBusters.org, May 11 Life Imitates the Onion * "Report: Double Stuf Oreos Could Raise Tolerance to Stuf"--headline, <http://www.theonion.com/articles/report-double-stuf-oreos-could-raise-tolerance-to,5918/> Onion, Nov. 13, 2007 * "Oreos Step It Up With the Triple Double"--headline, <http://www.kitchendaily.com/2011/05/10/oreos-step-it-up-with-the-triple-double/> KitchenDaily.com, May 10, 2011 <http://blogs.phillymag.com/gphilly/2011/05/12/preview-shut-up-dance/> 'We Need to Shut Up and Move On' "Preview: Shut Up & Dance"--headline, Philadelphia Magazine website, May 12 <http://bit.ly/ijnFsu> Steal This Book "Denmark Plans to Reinstate Guards at Borders"--headline, The Wall Street Journal, May 12 <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/science/egg-farmers-launch-canadas-first-academic-chair-of-poultry-welfare/article2018902/> Egghead Wanted "Egg Farmers Launch Canada's First Academic Chair of Poultry Welfare"--headline, Globe and Mail (Toronto), May 12 <http://bit.ly/kuSeAA> The Lonely Lives of Scientists "Scientists Plan to Chat With Dolphins"--headline, WSJ.com, May 12 <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-creamer/post-bin-laden---it-is-ti_b_860954.html> Hey, Kids! What Time Is It? "Post-bin Laden, It's Time to End the Threat of Nuclear Terrorism for Good"--headline, Puffington Host, May 12 Questions Nobody Is Asking * "New Life for an Old Rumor: Was bin Laden 'Marfanoid'?"--headline, <http://bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/05/10/6620349-new-life-for-an-old-rumor-was-bin-laden-marfanoid> MSNBC.com, May 11 * "Senate Democrats: So, Who's Up for a $2 Trillion Tax Hike?"--headline, <http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2011/05/11/senate_democrats_so,_whos_up_for_a_$2_trillion_tax_hike> TownHall.com, May 11 * "Should China Kill the Dalai Lama?"--headline, <http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/05/should_china_kill_the_dalai_la.html> AmericanThinker.com, May 12 Answers to Questions Nobody Is Asking * "What Andrew Sullivan Doesn't Get About Palin"--headline, <http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/05/what-andrew-sullivan-doesnt-get-about-palin/238755/> TheAtlantic.com, May 11 * "Why Some Planets Spin Backward"--headline, <http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110512/od_nm/us_flipping_jupiters_odd> Reuters, May 12 * "Why You Should Never Over-Interpret Alternating Face-Plants of Dollar and Euro"--headline, <http://www.minyanville.com/businessmarkets/articles/ben-bernanke-jean-claude-trichet-us/5/11/2011/id/34425> Minyanville.com, May 11 * "We're Too Old to Wear Bikinis on the Beach at 47, and 35 Is the Cut-Off Age for a Miniskirt, Say Women"--headline, <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1385908/Women-old-wear-bikinis-beach-47-survey-shows.html> Daily Mail (London), May 11 <http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/donald-trump-lets-his-hair-down-20110511?page=1> Look Out Below! "Donald Trump Lets His Hair Down"--headline, RollingStone.com, May 11 <http://bit.ly/iMDdbQ> It's Always in the Last Place You Look "From the Plaza Hotel to Starbucks, Illicit Acts Find New Home"--headline, The Wall Street Journal, May 12 <http://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/weird/barack-obama-action-figure-styled-as-rambo-navy-seal-team-six/story-e6frep26-1226054556183> Everything Seemingly Is Spinning Out of Control "Barack Obama Action Figure Styled as Rambo, Navy SEAL Team Six"--headline, Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Australia), May 12 Bottom Stories of the Day * "Patrick Kennedy No Longer Working on Memoir, Says He's Busy With Other Projects"--headline, <http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/c4f8034d41b64d2fab89c7ba545bda4a/RIBooks-Patrick-Kennedy/> Associated Press, May 11 * "Federal Employee Union Lobbying on the Hill"--headline, <http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/politics/federal-employee-union-lobbying-on-the-hill/2011/05/11/AF9jsusG_story.html> Washington Post, May 11 <http://adage.com/article/global-news/brazil-s-congress-bra-place-health-message/227503/> Where's No Labels When You Need Them? If you live in Brazil, your government wants to get into your pants, AdAge.com reports: The Brazilian government has decided that the best place for a message to consumers about getting regular screenings for common forms of cancer is in their underwear. Brazil's Congress just passed a bill requiring manufacturers to add a warning to all bras, panties and mens' underpants about the importance of screening for breast, uterine and prostate cancer respectively. For good measure, it threw in the requirement that underwear for adult women should also suggest use of condoms. We hope America's nanny-state wackos don't get wind of this awful idea. It isn't hard to imagine Mike Bloomberg mandating no-smoking labels on intimate apparel, or Michelle Obama imposing antiobesity warnings on larger-size drawers. On the other hand, the <http://dailycaller.com/2011/05/11/inhofe-gruesome-photos-reveal-bin-laden-in-nothing-but-his-underwear-when-shot/> Daily Caller quotes Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, who's seen the posthumous Osama bin Laden photos, as saying "that bin Laden was in his underwear at the time of his death." Who knows how many lives might have been saved with the right warning label? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [email protected]. -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [email protected] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [email protected] Unsubscribe: [email protected] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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