from SLATE:
The [Washington] Post and NY [TIMES] both front a congressional
report that accuses U.S. intelligence agencies of underplaying the
potential threat from Iran. Both papers frame the issue in partisan
terms. The House report was written by a hard-line Republican staffer,
and while Democrats are lukewarm on it, they're not doing anything to
block it, according to the Post. The NYT says the report represents an
increasing frustration among top Republicans, including in the
administration, who believe U.S. intelligence agencies underestimate
the Iranian menace. "The intelligence community is dedicated to
predicting the least dangerous world possible," said Newt Gingrich.<
gosh, sounds familiar. It's deja vu all over again.
The Post fronts a good evergreen from Iraq on the movement led by
Muqtada al-Sadr, which is pursuing a Hezbollah-esque strategy of
building up a strong network of social services, participating in the
national government and biding its time until it thinks military
action is needed.<
so it's sinister ("Hezbollah-esque") for a group to supply social
services that the US-backed government there can't and won't supply?
(It's also common around the world for private organizations to do
this kind of thing. Where do you think all of these religious
universities and colleges came from?)
Also on the Post front page is an analysis of Bush's recent press
conference (the one Slate's Fred Kaplan called "moronic") that parses
the increasingly pessimistic rhetoric on Iraq coming from the White
House. The new message: It could be worse. One scholar calls the
rhetorical shift "last-ditch."<
it could be worse! Now there's a slogan that can mobilize the masses
for the war!
meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out how to fuel my Prius with burning hemp.
--
Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own
way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante.
