Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, fellow citizens:
As a new Congress gathers, all of us in the elected branches of government share a great privilege: we have been placed in office by the votes of the people we serve.And tonight that is a privilege we share with newly elected leaders of Afghanistan, the Palestinian territories, Ukraine, and a free and sovereign Iraq.
Two weeks ago, I stood on the steps of this Capitol and renewed the commitment of our Nation to the guiding ideal of liberty for all. This evening I will set forth policies to advance that ideal at home and around the world.
Tonight, with a healthy, growing economy, with more Americans going back to work, with our Nation an active force for good in the world – the state of our union is confident and strong.Our generation has been blessed – by the expansion of opportunity, by advances in medicine, and by the security purchased by our parents’ sacrifice. Now, as we see a little gray in the mirror – or a lot of gray – and we watch our children moving into adulthood, we ask the question: What will be the state of their union?
Members of Congress, the choices we make together will answer that question. Over the next several months, on issue after issue, let us do what Americans have always done, and build a better world for our children and grandchildren.
First, we must be good stewards of this economy, and renew the great institutions on which millions of our fellow citizens rely.
America’s economy is the fastest growing of any major industrialized nation.In the past four years, we have provided tax relief to every person who pays income taxes, overcome a recession, opened up new markets abroad, prosecuted corporate criminals, raised homeownership to the highest level in history, and in the last year alone, the United States has added 2.3 million new jobs. When action was needed, the Congress delivered – and the Nation is grateful.
Now we must add to these achievements.By making our economy more flexible, more innovative, and more competitive, we will keep America the economic leader of the world.
America’s prosperity requires restraining the spending appetite of the federal government.I welcome the bipartisan enthusiasm for spending discipline. So next week I will send you a budget that holds the growth of discretionary spending below inflation, makes tax relief permanent, and stays on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009. My budget substantially reduces or eliminates more than 150 government programs that are not getting results, or duplicate current efforts, or do not fulfill essential priorities. The principle here is clear: a taxpayer dollar must be spent wisely, or not at all.
To make our economy stronger and more dynamic, we must prepare a rising generation to fill the jobs of the 21st century. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, standards are higher, test scores are on the rise, and we are closing the achievement gap for minority students. Now we must demand better results from our high schools, so every high school diploma is a ticket to success. We will help an additional 200,000 workers to get training for a better career, by reforming our job training system and strengthening America’s community colleges. And we will make it easier for Americans to afford a college education, by increasing the size of Pell Grants.
To make our economy stronger and more competitive, America must reward, not punish, the efforts and dreams of entrepreneurs. Small business is the path of advancement, especially for women and minorities, so we must free small businesses from needless regulation and protect honest job-creators from junk lawsuits. Justice is distorted, and our economy is held back, by irresponsible class actions and frivolous asbestos claims – and I urge Congress to pass legal reforms this year.
To make our economy stronger and more productive, we must make health care more affordable, and give families greater access to good coverage, and more control over their health decisions.I ask Congress to move forward on a comprehensive health care agenda – with tax credits to help low-income workers buy insurance, a community health center in every poor county, improved information technology to prevent medical errors and needless costs, association health plans for small businesses and their employees, expanded health savings accounts, and medical liability reform that will reduce health care costs, and make sure patients have the doctors and care they need.
To keep our economy growing, we also need reliable supplies of affordable, environmentally responsible energy.Nearly four years ago, I submitted a comprehensive energy strategy that encourages conservation, alternative sources, a modernized electricity grid, and more production here at home, including safe, clean nuclear energy. My Clear Skies legislation will cut power plant pollution and improve the health of our citizens. And my budget provides strong funding for leading-edge technology – from hydrogen-fueled cars, to clean coal, to renewable sources such as ethanol. Four years of debate is enough – I urge Congress to pass legislation that makes America more secure and less dependent on foreign energy.
All these proposals are essential to expand this economy and add new jobs – but they are just the beginning of our duty.To build the prosperity of future generations, we must update institutions that were created to meet the needs of an earlier time. Year after year, Americans are burdened by an archaic, incoherent federal tax code. I have appointed a bipartisan panel to examine the tax code from top to bottom. And when their recommendations are delivered, you and I will work together to give this Nation a tax code that is pro-growth, easy to understand, and fair to all.
America’s immigration system is also outdated – unsuited to the needs of our economy and to the values of our country. We should not be content with laws that punish hardworking people who want only to provide for their families, and deny businesses willing workers, and invite chaos at our border. It is time for an immigration policy that permits temporary guest workers to fill jobs Americans will not take, that rejects amnesty, that tells us who is entering and leaving our country, and that closes the border to drug dealers and terrorists.
One of America’s most important institutions – a symbol of the trust between generations – is also in need of wise and effective reform.Social Security was a great moral success of the 20th Century, and we must honor its great purposes in this new century. The system, however, on its current path, is headed toward bankruptcy. And so we must join together to strengthen and save Social Security.
Today, more than 45 million Americans receive Social Security benefits, and millions more are nearing retirement – and for them the system is strong and fiscally sound. I have a message for every American who is 55 or older: Do not let anyone mislead you. For you, the Social Security system will not change in any way.
For younger workers, the Social Security system has serious problems that will grow worse with time. Social Security was created decades ago, for a very different era. In those days people didn’t live as long, benefits were much lower than they are today, and a half century ago, about 16 workers paid into the system for each person drawing benefits. Our society has changed in ways the founders of Social Security could not have foreseen.
In today’s world, people are living longer and therefore drawing benefits longer – and those benefits are scheduled to rise dramatically over the next few decades. And instead of 16 workers paying in for every beneficiary, right now it’s only about three workers – and over the next few decades, that number will fall to just two workers per beneficiary. With each passing year, fewer workers are paying ever-higher benefits to an ever-larger number of retirees.
So here is the result: Thirteen years from now, in 2018, Social Security will be paying out more than it takes in. And every year afterward will bring a new shortfall, bigger than the year before. For example, in the year 2027, the government will somehow have to come up with an extra 200 billion dollars to keep the system afloat – and by 2033, the annual shortfall would be more than 300 billion dollars. By the year 2042, the entire system would be exhausted and bankrupt. If steps are not taken to avert that outcome, the only solutions would be drastically higher taxes, massive new borrowing, or sudden and severe cuts in Social Security benefits or other government programs.
I recognize that 2018 and 2042 may seem like a long way off.But those dates are not so distant, as any parent will tell you. If you have a five-year-old, you’re already concerned about how you’ll pay for college tuition 13 years down the road. If you’ve got children in their 20s, as some of us do, the idea of Social Security collapsing before they retire does not seem like a small matter. And it should not be a small matter to the United States Congress.
You and I share a responsibility.We must pass reforms that solve the financial problems of Social Security once and for all.
Fixing Social Security permanently will require an open, candid review of the options.Some have suggested limiting benefits for wealthy retirees. Former Congressman Tim Penny has raised the possibility of indexing benefits to prices rather than wages. During the 1990s, my predecessor, President Clinton, spoke of increasing the retirement age. Former Senator John Breaux suggested discouraging early collection of Social Security benefits. The late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan recommended changing the way benefits are calculated.
All these ideas are on the table. I know that none of these reforms would be easy. But we have to move ahead with courage and honesty, because our children’s retirement security is more important than partisan politics. I will work with members of Congress to find the most effective combination of reforms. I will listen to anyone who has a good idea to offer. We must, however, be guided by some basic principles. We must make Social Security permanently sound, not leave that task for another day. We must not jeopardize our economic strength by increasing payroll taxes. We must ensure that lower income Americans get the help they need to have dignity and peace of mind in their retirement. We must guarantee that there is no change for those now retired or nearing retirement. And we must take care that any changes in the system are gradual, so younger workers have years to prepare and plan for their future.
As we fix Social Security, we also have the responsibility to make the system a better deal for younger workers.And the best way to reach that goal is through voluntary personal retirement accounts. Here is how the idea works. Right now, a set portion of the money you earn is taken out of your paycheck to pay for the Social Security benefits of today’s retirees. If you are a younger worker, I believe you should be able to set aside part of that money in your own retirement account, so you can build a nest egg for your own future.
Here is why personal accounts are a better deal. Your money will grow, over time, at a greater rate than anything the current system can deliver – and your account will provide money for retirement over and above the check you will receive from Social Security. In addition, you’ll be able to pass along the money that accumulates in your personal account, if you wish, to your children or grandchildren. And best of all, the money in the account is yours, and the government can never take it away.
The goal here is greater security in retirement, so we will set careful guidelines for personal accounts. We will make sure the money can only go into a conservative mix of bonds and stock funds. We will make sure that your earnings are not eaten up by hidden Wall Street fees. We will make sure there are good options to protect your investments from sudden market swings on the eve of your retirement. We will make sure a personal account can’t be emptied out all at once, but rather paid out over time, as an addition to traditional Social Security benefits. And we will make sure this plan is fiscally responsible, by starting personal retirement accounts gradually, and raising the yearly limits on contributions over time, eventually permitting all workers to set aside four percentage points of their payroll taxes in their accounts.
Personal retirement accounts should be familiar to federal employees, because you already have something similar, called the Thrift Savings Plan, which lets workers deposit a portion of their paychecks into any of five different broadly based investment funds.It is time to extend the same security, and choice, and ownership to young Americans.
Our second great responsibility to our children and grandchildren is to honor and to pass along the values that sustain a free society.So many of my generation, after a long journey, have come home to family and faith, and are determined to bring up responsible, moral children.
Government is not the source of these values, but government should never undermine them.
Because marriage is a sacred institution and the foundation of society, it should not be re-defined by activist judges.For the good of families, children, and society, I support a constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage.
Because a society is measured by how it treats the weak and vulnerable, we must strive to build a culture of life. Medical research can help us reach that goal, by developing treatments and cures that save lives and help people overcome disabilities – and I thank Congress for doubling the funding of the National Institutes of Health. To build a culture of life, we must also ensure that scientific advances always serve human dignity, not take advantage of some lives for the benefit of others. We should all be able to agree on some clear standards. I will work with Congress to ensure that human embryos are not created for experimentation or grown for body parts, and that human life is never bought and sold as a commodity. America will continue to lead the world in medical research that is ambitious, aggressive, and always ethical.
Because courts must always deliver impartial justice, judges have a duty to faithfully interpret the law, not legislate from the bench. As President, I have a constitutional responsibility to nominate men and women who understand the role of courts in our democracy, and are well qualified to serve on the bench – and I have done so. The Constitution also gives the Senate a responsibility: Every judicial nominee deserves an up-or-down vote.
Because one of the deepest values of our country is compassion, we must never turn away from any citizen who feels isolated from the opportunities of America.Our government will continue to support faith-based and community groups that bring hope to harsh places. Now we need to focus on giving young people, especially young men in our cities, better options than apathy, or gangs, or jail. Tonight I propose a three-year initiative to help organizations keep young people out of gangs, and show young men an ideal of manhood that respects women and rejects violence. Taking on gang life will be one part of a broader outreach to at-risk youth, which involves parents and pastors, coaches and community leaders, in programs ranging from literacy to sports. And I am proud that the leader of this nationwide effort will be our First Lady, Laura Bush.
Because HIV/AIDS brings suffering and fear into so many lives, I ask you to reauthorize the Ryan White Act to encourage prevention, and provide care and treatment to the victims of that disease.And as we update this important law, we must focus our efforts on fellow citizens with the highest rates of new cases, African-American men and women.
Because one of the main sources of our national unity is our belief in equal justice, we need to make sure Americans of all races and backgrounds have confidence in the system that provides justice.In America we must make doubly sure no person is held to account for a crime he or she did not commit – so we are dramatically expanding the use of DNA evidence to prevent wrongful conviction. Soon I will send to Congress a proposal to fund special training for defense counsel in capital cases, because people on trial for their lives must have competent lawyers by their side.
Our third responsibility to future generations is to leave them an America that is safe from danger, and protected by peace. We will pass along to our children all the freedoms we enjoy – and chief among them is freedom from fear.
In the three and a half years since September 11th, 2001, we have taken unprecedented actions to protect Americans.We have created a new department of government to defend our homeland, focused the FBI on preventing terrorism, begun to reform our intelligence agencies, broken up terror cells across the country, expanded research on defenses against biological and chemical attack, improved border security, and trained more than a half million first responders. Police and firefighters, air marshals, researchers, and so many others are working every day to make our homeland safer, and we thank them all.
Our Nation, working with allies and friends, has also confronted the enemy abroad, with measures that are determined, successful, and continuing.The al-Qaida terror network that attacked our country still has leaders – but many of its top commanders have been removed. There are still governments that sponsor and harbor terrorists – but their number has declined. There are still regimes seeking weapons of mass destruction – but no longer without attention and without consequence. Our country is still the target of terrorists who want to kill many, and intimidate us all – and we will stay on the offensive against them, until the fight is won.
Pursuing our enemies is a vital commitment of the war on terror – and I thank the Congress for providing our servicemen and women with the resources they have needed.During this time of war, we must continue to support our military and give them the tools for victory.
Other nations around the globe have stood with us.In Afghanistan, an international force is helping provide security. In Iraq, 28 countries have troops on the ground, the United Nations and the European Union provided technical assistance for elections, and NATO is leading a mission to help train Iraqi officers. We are cooperating with 60 governments in the Proliferation Security Initiative, to detect and stop the transit of dangerous materials. We are working closely with governments in Asia to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and nine other countries have captured or detained al-Qaida terrorists. In the next four years, my Administration will continue to build the coalitions that will defeat the dangers of our time.
In the long term, the peace we seek will only be achieved by eliminating the conditions that feed radicalism and ideologies of murder.If whole regions of the world remain in despair and grow in hatred, they will be the recruiting grounds for terror, and that terror will stalk America and other free nations for decades. The only force powerful enough to stop the rise of tyranny and terror, and replace hatred with hope, is the force of human freedom. Our enemies know this, and that is why the terrorist Zarqawi recently declared war on what he called the “evil principle” of democracy. And we have declared our own intention: America will stand with the allies of freedom to support democratic movements in the Middle East and beyond, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.
The United States has no right, no desire, and no intention to impose our form of government on anyone else. That is one of the main differences between us and our enemies. They seek to impose and expand an empire of oppression, in which a tiny group of brutal, self-appointed rulers control every aspect of every life. Our aim is to build and preserve a community of free and independent nations, with governments that answer to their citizens, and reflect their own cultures. And because democracies respect their own people and their neighbors, the advance of freedom will lead to peace.
That advance has great momentum in our time – shown by women voting in Afghanistan, and Palestinians choosing a new direction, and the people of Ukraine asserting their democratic rights and electing a president. We are witnessing landmark events in the history of liberty. And in the coming years, we will add to that story.
The beginnings of reform and democracy in the Palestinian territories are showing the power of freedom to break old patterns of violence and failure.Tomorrow morning, Secretary of State Rice departs on a trip that will take her to Israel and the West Bank for meetings with Prime Minister Sharon and President Abbas. She will discuss with them how we and our friends can help the Palestinian people end terror and build the institutions of a peaceful, independent democratic state. To promote this democracy, I will ask Congress for 350 million dollars to support Palestinian political, economic, and security reforms. The goal of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace is within reach – and America will help them achieve that goal.
To promote peace and stability in the broader Middle East, the United States will work with our friends in the region to fight the common threat of terror, while we encourage a higher standard of freedom. Hopeful reform is already taking hold in an arc from Morocco to Jordan to Bahrain. The government of Saudi Arabia can demonstrate its leadership in the region by expanding the role of its people in determining their future. And the great and proud nation of Egypt, which showed the way toward peace in the Middle East, can now show the way toward democracy in the Middle East.
To promote peace in the broader Middle East, we must confront regimes that continue to harbor terrorists and pursue weapons of mass murder. Syria still allows its territory, and parts of Lebanon, to be used by terrorists who seek to destroy every chance of peace in the region. You have passed, and we are applying, the Syrian Accountability Act – and we expect the Syrian government to end all support for terror and open the door to freedom. Today, Iran remains the world’s primary state sponsor of terror – pursuing nuclear weapons while depriving its people of the freedom they seek and deserve. We are working with European allies to make clear to the Iranian regime that it must give up its uranium enrichment program and any plutonium re-processing, and end its support for terror. And to the Iranian people, I say tonight: As you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you.
Our generational commitment to the advance of freedom, especially in the Middle East, is now being tested and honored in Iraq.That country is a vital front in the war on terror, which is why the terrorists have chosen to make a stand there. Our men and women in uniform are fighting terrorists in Iraq, so we do not have to face them here at home. And the victory of freedom in Iraq will strengthen a new ally in the war on terror, inspire democratic reformers from Damascus to Tehran, bring more hope and progress to a troubled region, and thereby lift a terrible threat from the lives of our children and grandchildren.
We will succeed because the Iraqi people value their own liberty – as they showed the world last Sunday. Across Iraq, often at great risk, millions of citizens went to the polls and elected 275 men and women to represent them in a new Transitional National Assembly. A young woman in Baghdad told of waking to the sound of mortar fire on election day, and wondering if it might be too dangerous to vote. She said, “hearing those explosions, it occurred to me – the insurgents are weak, they are afraid of democracy, they are losing. … So I got my husband, and I got my parents, and we all came out and voted together.” Americans recognize that spirit of liberty, because we share it. In any nation, casting your vote is an act of civic responsibility; for millions of Iraqis, it was also an act of personal courage, and they have earned the respect of us all.
One of Iraq’s leading democracy and human rights advocates is Safia Taleb al-Suhail.She says of her country, “we were occupied for 35 years by Saddam Hussein. That was the real occupation. … Thank you to the American people who paid the cost … but most of all to the soldiers.” Eleven years ago, Safia’s father was assassinated by Saddam’s intelligence service. Three days ago in Baghdad, Safia was finally able to vote for the leaders of her country – and we are honored that she is with us tonight.
The terrorists and insurgents are violently opposed to democracy, and will continue to attack it.Yet the terrorists’ most powerful myth is being destroyed. The whole world is seeing that the car bombers and assassins are not only fighting coalition forces, they are trying to destroy the hopes of Iraqis, expressed in free elections. And the whole world now knows that a small group of extremists will not overturn the will of the Iraqi people.
We will succeed in Iraq because Iraqis are determined to fight for their own freedom, and to write their own history. As Prime Minister Allawi said in his speech to Congress last September, “Ordinary Iraqis are anxious … to shoulder all the security burdens of our country as quickly as possible.” This is the natural desire of an independent nation, and it also is the stated mission of our coalition in Iraq. The new political situation in Iraq opens a new phase of our work in that country. At the recommendation of our commanders on the ground, and in consultation with the Iraqi government, we will increasingly focus our efforts on helping prepare more capable Iraqi security forces – forces with skilled officers, and an effective command structure. As those forces become more self-reliant and take on greater security responsibilities, America and its coalition partners will increasingly be in a supporting role. In the end, Iraqis must be able to defend their own country – and we will help that proud, new nation secure its liberty.
Recently an Iraqi interpreter said to a reporter, “Tell America not to abandon us.” He and all Iraqis can be certain: While our military strategy is adapting to circumstances, our commitment remains firm and unchanging. We are standing for the freedom of our Iraqi friends, and freedom in Iraq will make America safer for generations to come. We will not set an artificial timetable for leaving Iraq, because that would embolden the terrorists and make them believe they can wait us out. We are in Iraq to achieve a result: A country that is democratic, representative of all its people, at peace with its neighbors, and able to defend itself. And when that result is achieved, our men and women serving in Iraq will return home with the honor they have earned.
Right now, Americans in uniform are serving at posts across the world, often taking great risks on my orders.We have given them training and equipment; and they have given us an example of idealism and character that makes every American proud. The volunteers of our military are unrelenting in battle, unwavering in loyalty, unmatched in honor and decency, and every day they are making our nation more secure. Some of our servicemen and women have survived terrible injuries, and this grateful country will do everything we can to help them recover. And we have said farewell to some very good men and women, who died for our freedom, and whose memory this nation will honor forever.
One name we honor is Marine Corps Sergeant Byron Norwood of Pflugerville, Texas, who was killed during the assault on Fallujah.His mom, Janet, sent me a letter and told me how much Byron loved being a Marine, and how proud he was to be on the front line against terror. She wrote, “When Byron was home the last time, I said that I wanted to protect him like I had since he was born. He just hugged me and said: ‘You've done your job, mom. Now it’s my turn to protect you.’” Ladies and gentlemen, with grateful hearts, we honor freedom’s defenders, and our military families, represented here this evening by Sergeant Norwood’s mom and dad, Janet and Bill Norwood.
In these four years, Americans have seen the unfolding of large events.We have known times of sorrow, and hours of uncertainty, and days of victory. In all this history, even when we have disagreed, we have seen threads of purpose that unite us. The attack on freedom in our world has reaffirmed our confidence in freedom’s power to change the world. We are all part of a great venture: To extend the promise of freedom in our country, to renew the values that sustain our liberty, and to spread the peace that freedom brings.
As Franklin Roosevelt once reminded Americans, “each age is a dream that is dying, or one that is coming to birth.”And we live in the country where the biggest dreams are born. The abolition of slavery was only a dream – until it was fulfilled. The liberation of Europe from fascism was only a dream – until it was achieved. The fall of imperial communism was only a dream – until, one day, it was accomplished. Our generation has dreams of its own, and we also go forward with confidence. The road of Providence is uneven and unpredictable – yet we know where it leads: It leads to freedom.
Thank you, and may God bless America.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
New links
You may notice some new links on the right side of the page. I hope you find them interesting.
The Daou Report
Gizmodo, a gadget blog
Fighting Words, by Christopher Hitchens
TechCentralStation
Technorati, a blog search engine
Times Watch
The Daou Report
Gizmodo, a gadget blog
Fighting Words, by Christopher Hitchens
TechCentralStation
Technorati, a blog search engine
Times Watch
articles 2/2
Thanks Hollywood
Bush Taking Down Osama
CNN's Eason Jordan slandered the American military as journalist killers, and MSM doesn't care.
by Hugh Hewitt
Ketchum-DoE Episode Necessitates Look at Definition of PR
by Alan Kelly
AP
Web Site Claims GI Captured in Iraq
Photo of "soldier"
Liam Cusack, of the toy manufacturer Dragon Models USA, Inc., said the image of the soldier portrayed in the photo bore a striking resemblance to a military action figure made by the company. In the photo, a gun barrel was pointed at the head of the man's figure, and behind him on the wall was a black banner emblazoned with the Islamic profession of faith, "There is no god but God and Muhammad is His prophet."
Mr. Bill appears to have been taken hostage in Iraq
Toy Soldiers
By Douglas Kern
W. Post
Aging Population Poses Global Challenges
Health Care, Other Rising Costs to Strain Budgets in U.S. and Abroad
Bush must embrace the values of open societies
by George Soros
National Review Editorial
Pretty Please
Howard Dean, the DNC’s leading man.
'W' is for Wilson?
by James Pinkerton
In the absence of effective criticism from the right or the left, Bush will likely join Tony Blair in the creation of a new welfare paradigm across the globe. The US will provide the grand ideology of freedom, enforced by a costly Pentagon, while the UK will further coax Americans to pay for the world's wellbeing. This new course for the 21st century will certainly be expensive, it might possibly evince moral clarity -- and it will definitely not be conservative.
LA Times
Bush Outlines GOP Agenda for Dominance in Speech
Depriving Democrats of voters and money for years to come is among White House policies' other aims.
So, Exactly What's Changed?
By Arianna Huffington
LA Times
Adelphia to Offer Hard-Core Porn
The cable operator, once seen as conservative, makes triple-X-rated programming available.
NY Times
Tests Said to Tie Deal on Uranium to North Korea
Scientific tests have led U.S. intelligence agencies to conclude that North Korea sold processed uranium to Libya.
Now It's Up to Iraqis
By David Ignatius
. . . with training wheels
by Cal Thomas
Campus exercise in anti-intellectualism
by Walter E. Williams
Lawrence Summers, president of Harvard University, has been excoriated for suggesting innate differences between men and women might be one reason fewer women succeed in the higher reaches of science and math.
W. Times
Naysayers tight-lipped since success of Iraq vote
Skeptics of President Bush's attempt to bring democracy to Iraq have been largely silent since Iraqis enthusiastically turned out for Sunday's elections.
W. Post
A Humble Rise to Power
Sensing election victory, Iraq's Shiite leaders urge decorum.
NY Times
For Frist, Tough Agenda and Conflicting Pressure
The fate of President Bush's domestic agenda rests, in many ways, with Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader.
Media pessimism loses in Iraq
by Brent Bozell
Sunday's elections in Iraq were glorious for Americans who relish the concept of freedom somewhere, anywhere in the Arab world.
Flipping the finger for freedom
by Kathleen Parker
As the world watched millions of Iraqis walk miles to vote, in some cases stepping over puddles of blood left by suicide bombers, a glum John Kerry appeared on 'Meet the Press' and urged Americans not to 'overhype' Iraq's elections.
Jacko and Snoop Dogg's America
by Michelle Malkin
Cry me a river. Michael Jackson's father is blaming -- what else? -- American "racism" for his ghoulish son's persistent legal and personal problems.
Anti-intellectualism among the academic elite
by Walter E. Williams
Suppose a speaker said that sickle cell anemia is genetically determined and occurs almost exclusively among blacks.
NY Times
Church Groups Turn to Sonogram to Turn Women From Abortions
W. Post
A Humble Rise to Power
Sensing election victory, Iraq's Shiite leaders urge decorum.
Do US Troops Target Journalists in Iraq?
The Left Loses College Kids
By Brian C. Anderson
USA Today
What got so many counties to shift from blue to red?
NY Times
Men Are Becoming the Ad Target of the Gender Sneer
Slate
Are Imaginary Companions Good for Kids?
What psychologists don't see about pretend friends.
Bloomberg
Soros Says Kerry's Failings Undermined Campaign Against Bush
A Defeat for the Forces of Fear
By David Frum
New Republic
Paper Over
How Arab newspapers spun the Iraqi election
When Muslims Convert
by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
What's Your MCM?
Sports stats that would really tell you something.
by Bob Brody
A Time for Partisanship
On Social Security, Bush shouldn't negotiate with no-account Democrats.
by Brendan Miniter
Reuters
Bush to Call for Near-Freeze in Spending: Aide
President Bush will call for a near-freeze in the overall growth of government spending not connected to national defense to try to rein in record deficits, a senior administration official said on Tuesday.
Taking Kos Seriously
The Daily Kos is the most popular and important force in the blogosphere; it's a fact with which Democrats are just now coming to grips.
by Dean Barnett
Christian Science Monitor
Are bloggers journalists? Do they deserve press protections?
An Apple lawsuit against the operators of fan websites stirs debate on whether bloggers can claim legal protections.
USA Today
U.S. journalists fare well on test of ethics, study finds
Who's Ethical?
The View from the Plane
What the Iraq elections looked like from Afghanistan, England, and elsewhere.
by Tom Donnelly
Va. Episcopalians might go their own way
Congregations could secede under bill
A Movie for All Time
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, Groundhog Day scores
by Jonah Goldberg
Step Away From the Plastic
Have you ever taken inventory of your credit cards? You should. Fool contributor Tim Beyers and his wife were more than $45,000 in debt at one point. He often wondered how exactly it happened. A little winter cleaning revealed the ugly truth.
Bush Taking Down Osama
CNN's Eason Jordan slandered the American military as journalist killers, and MSM doesn't care.
by Hugh Hewitt
Ketchum-DoE Episode Necessitates Look at Definition of PR
by Alan Kelly
AP
Web Site Claims GI Captured in Iraq
Photo of "soldier"
Liam Cusack, of the toy manufacturer Dragon Models USA, Inc., said the image of the soldier portrayed in the photo bore a striking resemblance to a military action figure made by the company. In the photo, a gun barrel was pointed at the head of the man's figure, and behind him on the wall was a black banner emblazoned with the Islamic profession of faith, "There is no god but God and Muhammad is His prophet."
Mr. Bill appears to have been taken hostage in Iraq
Toy Soldiers
By Douglas Kern
W. Post
Aging Population Poses Global Challenges
Health Care, Other Rising Costs to Strain Budgets in U.S. and Abroad
Bush must embrace the values of open societies
by George Soros
National Review Editorial
Pretty Please
Howard Dean, the DNC’s leading man.
'W' is for Wilson?
by James Pinkerton
In the absence of effective criticism from the right or the left, Bush will likely join Tony Blair in the creation of a new welfare paradigm across the globe. The US will provide the grand ideology of freedom, enforced by a costly Pentagon, while the UK will further coax Americans to pay for the world's wellbeing. This new course for the 21st century will certainly be expensive, it might possibly evince moral clarity -- and it will definitely not be conservative.
LA Times
Bush Outlines GOP Agenda for Dominance in Speech
Depriving Democrats of voters and money for years to come is among White House policies' other aims.
So, Exactly What's Changed?
By Arianna Huffington
LA Times
Adelphia to Offer Hard-Core Porn
The cable operator, once seen as conservative, makes triple-X-rated programming available.
NY Times
Tests Said to Tie Deal on Uranium to North Korea
Scientific tests have led U.S. intelligence agencies to conclude that North Korea sold processed uranium to Libya.
Now It's Up to Iraqis
By David Ignatius
. . . with training wheels
by Cal Thomas
Campus exercise in anti-intellectualism
by Walter E. Williams
Lawrence Summers, president of Harvard University, has been excoriated for suggesting innate differences between men and women might be one reason fewer women succeed in the higher reaches of science and math.
W. Times
Naysayers tight-lipped since success of Iraq vote
Skeptics of President Bush's attempt to bring democracy to Iraq have been largely silent since Iraqis enthusiastically turned out for Sunday's elections.
W. Post
A Humble Rise to Power
Sensing election victory, Iraq's Shiite leaders urge decorum.
NY Times
For Frist, Tough Agenda and Conflicting Pressure
The fate of President Bush's domestic agenda rests, in many ways, with Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader.
Media pessimism loses in Iraq
by Brent Bozell
Sunday's elections in Iraq were glorious for Americans who relish the concept of freedom somewhere, anywhere in the Arab world.
Flipping the finger for freedom
by Kathleen Parker
As the world watched millions of Iraqis walk miles to vote, in some cases stepping over puddles of blood left by suicide bombers, a glum John Kerry appeared on 'Meet the Press' and urged Americans not to 'overhype' Iraq's elections.
Jacko and Snoop Dogg's America
by Michelle Malkin
Cry me a river. Michael Jackson's father is blaming -- what else? -- American "racism" for his ghoulish son's persistent legal and personal problems.
Anti-intellectualism among the academic elite
by Walter E. Williams
Suppose a speaker said that sickle cell anemia is genetically determined and occurs almost exclusively among blacks.
NY Times
Church Groups Turn to Sonogram to Turn Women From Abortions
W. Post
A Humble Rise to Power
Sensing election victory, Iraq's Shiite leaders urge decorum.
Do US Troops Target Journalists in Iraq?
The Left Loses College Kids
By Brian C. Anderson
USA Today
What got so many counties to shift from blue to red?
NY Times
Men Are Becoming the Ad Target of the Gender Sneer
Slate
Are Imaginary Companions Good for Kids?
What psychologists don't see about pretend friends.
Bloomberg
Soros Says Kerry's Failings Undermined Campaign Against Bush
A Defeat for the Forces of Fear
By David Frum
New Republic
Paper Over
How Arab newspapers spun the Iraqi election
When Muslims Convert
by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
What's Your MCM?
Sports stats that would really tell you something.
by Bob Brody
A Time for Partisanship
On Social Security, Bush shouldn't negotiate with no-account Democrats.
by Brendan Miniter
Reuters
Bush to Call for Near-Freeze in Spending: Aide
President Bush will call for a near-freeze in the overall growth of government spending not connected to national defense to try to rein in record deficits, a senior administration official said on Tuesday.
Taking Kos Seriously
The Daily Kos is the most popular and important force in the blogosphere; it's a fact with which Democrats are just now coming to grips.
by Dean Barnett
Christian Science Monitor
Are bloggers journalists? Do they deserve press protections?
An Apple lawsuit against the operators of fan websites stirs debate on whether bloggers can claim legal protections.
USA Today
U.S. journalists fare well on test of ethics, study finds
Who's Ethical?
The View from the Plane
What the Iraq elections looked like from Afghanistan, England, and elsewhere.
by Tom Donnelly
Va. Episcopalians might go their own way
Congregations could secede under bill
A Movie for All Time
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, Groundhog Day scores
by Jonah Goldberg
Step Away From the Plastic
Have you ever taken inventory of your credit cards? You should. Fool contributor Tim Beyers and his wife were more than $45,000 in debt at one point. He often wondered how exactly it happened. A little winter cleaning revealed the ugly truth.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
WSJ: U2 Snafu
The Perks and Perils of VIP Ticketing
U2 Snafu Shows Downside Of Effort to ProvideFan Clubs With Special Deals
By ETHAN SMITH Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
February 1, 2005; Page D1
Thomas Miller, a 36-year-old real-estate title-insurance broker in Columbus, Ohio, says U2 has been his favorite band since high school. So when he heard the Irish rockers would be mounting their first tour of the U.S. in four years this summer, he joined the band's online fan club.
"I was led to believe that by paying a $40 fee I would get access to better tickets," Mr. Miller says. Instead, when he logged in to the band's Web site for the club-only "presale," five days before tickets went on sale to the general public, he was furious to discover the only tickets available cost $165 apiece -- and would seat him on an upper level of the arena, behind the stage. It is unclear exactly how many people were affected by the snafu. Based on postings on numerous official and unofficial fan Web sites, a number of the band's dedicated fans were either left without seats, or wound up paying far more than they had expected for subpar seats.
The U2 tour has sold out in every city where the tickets have gone on sale. But in recent years, as attendance at many acts' concerts has dwindled, an increasing number of musicians have found various ways to offer fans goodies that include perks such as admission to the act's preconcert sound check, a meal with fellow fans or premium seating at the show. The practice has become ubiquitous in the music industry, with everyone from pop princess Christina Aguilera to aging rockers such as Van Halen jumping in.
In general, the early-access ticket programs work smoothly, people in the music industry say. They typically function in one of two ways: Either as one of the perks of being in a fan club, whose annual membership fees usually run from $15 to $60 a year; or as VIP packages, where a surcharge of as much as $470 on each ticket adds a package of extras. Sometimes, with artists including Bob Dylan and Interpol, the early-access programs are free.
Some in the music business say premium ticketing is the future of the concert industry: A mechanism to let deep-pocketed fans for whom price is no object subsidize less expensive seats in the back of the house.
But the U2 case demonstrates all too clearly the ill will that can arise when sales of special tickets go awry. "You've got to take care of those people," says Kelly Curtis, manager of the grunge band Pearl Jam, referring to die-hard fans. "They'll turn on you if you don't."
The concert business doesn't need any more reasons to worry. Revenue for the concert industry totaled $2.8 billion last year, according to Pollstar, a trade magazine that covers the business. That was a 12% rise from the 2003 tally of $2.5 billion. But the rising top line masked what many in the industry called the most-unprofitable year in at least a decade. One reason is that rapidly rising ticket prices drove fans away, leaving many tours, including those by Norah Jones and Kiss, woefully undersubscribed.
Even some tours that had relatively strong turnouts, such as Simon & Garfunkel's reunion tour, were financial busts for many involved, because the promoters agreed to guarantee artists' unrealistically high fees.
In the case of U2 , the finger-pointing already has begun. People close to the band blame Ticketmaster, saying the ticket seller's equipment failed to keep up with demand; meanwhile, people close to Ticketmaster say the fault lies with U2 , adding that the band's management should have limited the number of fans allowed to join the club.
In the past, U2 fan-club members got early access to premium seats via a paper newsletter they received as part of their club membership. The fans would send in a form indicating what city they wanted tickets for, along with a check. For the upcoming tour, U2 streamlined the process of joining to a few mouse clicks on U2.com.
No one has yet disclosed just how many tickets were sold to U2 fan-club members, but a statement posted yesterday on U2.com apologized to fans who experienced difficulties, saying that for the entire tour "demand has vastly exceeded supply."
The statement went on to assert that "thousands of U2.com subscribers in North America and Europe did manage to successfully purchase tickets for these shows." Furthermore, the site promised that the band would return to the U.S. this fall and would offer fan-club members another first-come, first-served presale.
Some early-access ticketing leaves fans satisfied. Last summer, Van Halen offered VIP tickets, for $125 to $300, to 100 to 300 fans in each city on their tour. The tickets, which were offered online, included a buffet, special-collection T-shirts and a backstage tour, as well as the seats themselves. The top price for regular seats, without any extras, is $75 to $125, depending on the city.
Pearl Jam's fan organization, known as Ten Club, long has used a lower-technology method to allocate tickets for its members, precisely to avoid the kind of problem that occurred with the U2 tour. The band issues a number to each Ten Club member, in the order in which they join. It then allocates the best seats at each venue to members who order them, in order of their membership numbers.
The band plans to execute the same system, by hand, for a nine-month world tour kicking off sometime this summer.
Mr. Miller, the U2 fan, decided not to buy a ticket through the presale, writing off his $40 membership fee as a loss. Instead, he paid $140 to a scalper for a single ticket with a face value of $49.50. He says he still holds out hope that U2 will somehow "fix this mess." In an attempt to do that, U2's Web site said yesterday that the band would offer refunds of the membership fee to fans who couldn't get tickets.
Write to Ethan Smith at ethan.smith@wsj.com
U2 Snafu Shows Downside Of Effort to ProvideFan Clubs With Special Deals
By ETHAN SMITH Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
February 1, 2005; Page D1
Thomas Miller, a 36-year-old real-estate title-insurance broker in Columbus, Ohio, says U2 has been his favorite band since high school. So when he heard the Irish rockers would be mounting their first tour of the U.S. in four years this summer, he joined the band's online fan club.
"I was led to believe that by paying a $40 fee I would get access to better tickets," Mr. Miller says. Instead, when he logged in to the band's Web site for the club-only "presale," five days before tickets went on sale to the general public, he was furious to discover the only tickets available cost $165 apiece -- and would seat him on an upper level of the arena, behind the stage. It is unclear exactly how many people were affected by the snafu. Based on postings on numerous official and unofficial fan Web sites, a number of the band's dedicated fans were either left without seats, or wound up paying far more than they had expected for subpar seats.
The U2 tour has sold out in every city where the tickets have gone on sale. But in recent years, as attendance at many acts' concerts has dwindled, an increasing number of musicians have found various ways to offer fans goodies that include perks such as admission to the act's preconcert sound check, a meal with fellow fans or premium seating at the show. The practice has become ubiquitous in the music industry, with everyone from pop princess Christina Aguilera to aging rockers such as Van Halen jumping in.
In general, the early-access ticket programs work smoothly, people in the music industry say. They typically function in one of two ways: Either as one of the perks of being in a fan club, whose annual membership fees usually run from $15 to $60 a year; or as VIP packages, where a surcharge of as much as $470 on each ticket adds a package of extras. Sometimes, with artists including Bob Dylan and Interpol, the early-access programs are free.
Some in the music business say premium ticketing is the future of the concert industry: A mechanism to let deep-pocketed fans for whom price is no object subsidize less expensive seats in the back of the house.
But the U2 case demonstrates all too clearly the ill will that can arise when sales of special tickets go awry. "You've got to take care of those people," says Kelly Curtis, manager of the grunge band Pearl Jam, referring to die-hard fans. "They'll turn on you if you don't."
The concert business doesn't need any more reasons to worry. Revenue for the concert industry totaled $2.8 billion last year, according to Pollstar, a trade magazine that covers the business. That was a 12% rise from the 2003 tally of $2.5 billion. But the rising top line masked what many in the industry called the most-unprofitable year in at least a decade. One reason is that rapidly rising ticket prices drove fans away, leaving many tours, including those by Norah Jones and Kiss, woefully undersubscribed.
Even some tours that had relatively strong turnouts, such as Simon & Garfunkel's reunion tour, were financial busts for many involved, because the promoters agreed to guarantee artists' unrealistically high fees.
In the case of U2 , the finger-pointing already has begun. People close to the band blame Ticketmaster, saying the ticket seller's equipment failed to keep up with demand; meanwhile, people close to Ticketmaster say the fault lies with U2 , adding that the band's management should have limited the number of fans allowed to join the club.
In the past, U2 fan-club members got early access to premium seats via a paper newsletter they received as part of their club membership. The fans would send in a form indicating what city they wanted tickets for, along with a check. For the upcoming tour, U2 streamlined the process of joining to a few mouse clicks on U2.com.
No one has yet disclosed just how many tickets were sold to U2 fan-club members, but a statement posted yesterday on U2.com apologized to fans who experienced difficulties, saying that for the entire tour "demand has vastly exceeded supply."
The statement went on to assert that "thousands of U2.com subscribers in North America and Europe did manage to successfully purchase tickets for these shows." Furthermore, the site promised that the band would return to the U.S. this fall and would offer fan-club members another first-come, first-served presale.
Some early-access ticketing leaves fans satisfied. Last summer, Van Halen offered VIP tickets, for $125 to $300, to 100 to 300 fans in each city on their tour. The tickets, which were offered online, included a buffet, special-collection T-shirts and a backstage tour, as well as the seats themselves. The top price for regular seats, without any extras, is $75 to $125, depending on the city.
Pearl Jam's fan organization, known as Ten Club, long has used a lower-technology method to allocate tickets for its members, precisely to avoid the kind of problem that occurred with the U2 tour. The band issues a number to each Ten Club member, in the order in which they join. It then allocates the best seats at each venue to members who order them, in order of their membership numbers.
The band plans to execute the same system, by hand, for a nine-month world tour kicking off sometime this summer.
Mr. Miller, the U2 fan, decided not to buy a ticket through the presale, writing off his $40 membership fee as a loss. Instead, he paid $140 to a scalper for a single ticket with a face value of $49.50. He says he still holds out hope that U2 will somehow "fix this mess." In an attempt to do that, U2's Web site said yesterday that the band would offer refunds of the membership fee to fans who couldn't get tickets.
Write to Ethan Smith at ethan.smith@wsj.com
articles 2/1
Contractor UK
RFID enables wallet-less drinkers
Boston Globe
Dummer Academy boarding school votes to change its name
"Rightly or wrongly, first impressions make a difference," says the headmaster. ''Certainly, when you go outside of the Boston region, the first impression sometimes doesn't convey what the school is all about."
USA Today
The bands that rock the cradle
Mothers make themselves heard with music that defies stereotypes
Wired
Go Nuclear, Young Man
Despite disasters like Three Mile Island, could nuclear power help stop global warming?
by Peter Schwartz & Spencer Reiss
Newsweek
Doubting Darwin
How did life, in its infinite complexity, come to be? A controversial new theory called 'intelligent design' asserts a supernatural agent was at work How could the eye, with all its complex parts working in concert, have arisen by a series of discrete steps?
NY Times
Evolution Takes a Back Seat in U.S. Classes
In districts around the country, even when evolution is in the curriculum it may not be in the classroom.
The War Against World War IV
by Norman Podhoretz
The Bush Doctrine is under assault from every side; herewith, a critical guide to the critics. Does this mean the President is about to alter or reverse course?
Passion Does Not Equal Sanity
by Patrick Ruffini
NY Times
As Clinton Shifts Themes, Debate Arises on Her Motives
The Inventor of Modern Conservatism
Disraeli and us.
by David Gelernter
The Spinners, Casting Their Versions of the Vote in Iraq
By Howard Kurtz
The Querulous Party
The Left cavils and whines.
by Rich Lowry
Reuters
War Critics Paris, Berlin, Moscow Hail Iraq Vote
Has Iraq Weakened Us?
by Victor Davis Hanson
Far from tying us down, the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and its aftermath have enlarged our strategic options.
Take Ownership
by Karl Zinsmeister
Social Security is old and broken--we can do much better. America should seize today's golden chance to fix the mess in our entitlement programs, and open a more prosperous era of personal ownership and choice.
Broad Ownership Needs Broad Taxpaying
By Scott Johnson and John Hinderaker
Be Not Afraid: Personal Accounts Are No Radical Idea
By Leon Aron, John H. Makin, Stephen Moore, and Jose Pinera
The really dangerous proposal is to leave Social Security alone, warns Stephen Moore. Two decades ago, notes Jose Pinera, other countries discovered how economically beneficial it is to build a retirement system on private savings rather than government promises. Even Russia beat us to personal retirement accounts, explains Leon Aron. As for claims that the costs of transitioning to the new system will torpedo the U.S. economy--relax, says John Makin.
A Nation of Citizen Investors
By James K. Glassman
The Ownership Society is the biggest political idea since the New Deal. For modest-income citizens in particular, the chance to build inheritable wealth could open doors to a whole new life.
Liberal and Conservative as Defined by the Media
by Chris Weinkopf
To the establishment press, "liberal" and "conservative" aren't so much ideological descriptions as moral ones.
American Enterprise Magazine
Michael Medved
Once a left-wing agitator, he took a right turn toward reality, reason, and religion. Now he's one of the leading analysts of politics and popular culture in America.
Stepping Out of the Tar Pit
by David Brooks
New Kind of Awe in the Mideast
by Youssef Ibrahim
For Bush, Validation in Iraq
by Peter Baker and Robin Wright
The Axis of Oil
by Irwin Stelzer
Exit to where?
by Frank J. Gaffney Jr.
The truth is, whether we like it or not, the United States cannot exit the global war waged against us by Islamofascist terrorists and their allies, any more than we can stop the world and get off it.
Freedom over cynicism
by Lawrence Kudlow
When you read Jordan's King Abdullah is taking steps to organize new elections in his country, with regional election districts that look a lot like Iraq's, you realize just how wrong my friend Peggy Noonan is when she writes President Bush's Inaugural speech "forgot context."
Kerry reminds voters why they rejected him
by David Limbaugh
Ted Kennedy's contemptible foreign policy speech deliberately timed just prior to the Iraqi election was bad enough.
Europe's Crisis
by Arthur Waldron
Might the continent's grave problems force a return to the values that it shares with America?
Doing Justice to the Bible
by Hillel Halkin
A secular literary scholar undertakes a faithful translation of the world's most translated book.
The Election and the Jewish Vote
by Jay Lefkowitz
Despite the uptick for George W. Bush, old communal habits show few signs of breaking.
New Yorker
A Man of the Shadows
Can Iyad Allawi hold Iraq together?
Beating a Dead Parrot
Why Iraq and Vietnam have nothing whatsoever in common.
By Christopher Hitchens
A Jolie Good Time
On "corporate social responsibility" and being stood up by Angelina.
by Bret Stephens
WSJ Editorial
Pride and Prejudice
"Hell no, we won't go" is the wrong liberal approach on Social Security reform.
NY Times
Law Barring Junk E-Mail Allows a Flood Instead
A year after a sweeping federal antispam law went into effect, there is more junk e-mail on the Internet than ever.
There Is No Tomorrow
by Bill Moyers
Hill Sells Out
by Dick Morris
I Like Mike
Michael Chertoff isn't the Neanderthal he's been made out to be.
By Phillip Carter
The Art of Energy
The future will not be painted in oil.
By Peter Huber and Mark Mills
LA Times
NIH to Ban Scientists From Deals With Drug Firms
Federal researchers will no longer be able to accept fees to consult for companies, officials say. Lucrative pacts have sparked ethics probes
GOP Sees Future in Black Churches
By Tom Hamburger and Peter Wallsten
Social issues are binding the party with a group once firmly in the Democratic camp.
W. Times
A taste of the variety and breadth of neocon writing
Wired
Passenger Screening, Take 10
The Transportation Security Administration continues to push for a centralized passenger-screening system, this time using a combination of airline passenger information, terrorist watch lists and junk-mail databases.
by Ryan Singel.
USA Today
In iPod America, legions in tune
Apple's hip music player inspires fanatical devotion
AP
Oops: Government IT Blunders
Experts blame the U.S. government's tendency to reinvent the wheel, along with poor planning, rapid industry advances and the massive scope of billion-dollar projects for its track record of costly technology mistakes.
U2 Vertigo Tour Announces Immediate Sell-Outs in 16 Cities Worldwide, Reports Clear Channel Entertainment
RFID enables wallet-less drinkers
Boston Globe
Dummer Academy boarding school votes to change its name
"Rightly or wrongly, first impressions make a difference," says the headmaster. ''Certainly, when you go outside of the Boston region, the first impression sometimes doesn't convey what the school is all about."
USA Today
The bands that rock the cradle
Mothers make themselves heard with music that defies stereotypes
Wired
Go Nuclear, Young Man
Despite disasters like Three Mile Island, could nuclear power help stop global warming?
by Peter Schwartz & Spencer Reiss
Newsweek
Doubting Darwin
How did life, in its infinite complexity, come to be? A controversial new theory called 'intelligent design' asserts a supernatural agent was at work How could the eye, with all its complex parts working in concert, have arisen by a series of discrete steps?
NY Times
Evolution Takes a Back Seat in U.S. Classes
In districts around the country, even when evolution is in the curriculum it may not be in the classroom.
The War Against World War IV
by Norman Podhoretz
The Bush Doctrine is under assault from every side; herewith, a critical guide to the critics. Does this mean the President is about to alter or reverse course?
Passion Does Not Equal Sanity
by Patrick Ruffini
NY Times
As Clinton Shifts Themes, Debate Arises on Her Motives
The Inventor of Modern Conservatism
Disraeli and us.
by David Gelernter
The Spinners, Casting Their Versions of the Vote in Iraq
By Howard Kurtz
The Querulous Party
The Left cavils and whines.
by Rich Lowry
Reuters
War Critics Paris, Berlin, Moscow Hail Iraq Vote
Has Iraq Weakened Us?
by Victor Davis Hanson
Far from tying us down, the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and its aftermath have enlarged our strategic options.
Take Ownership
by Karl Zinsmeister
Social Security is old and broken--we can do much better. America should seize today's golden chance to fix the mess in our entitlement programs, and open a more prosperous era of personal ownership and choice.
Broad Ownership Needs Broad Taxpaying
By Scott Johnson and John Hinderaker
Be Not Afraid: Personal Accounts Are No Radical Idea
By Leon Aron, John H. Makin, Stephen Moore, and Jose Pinera
The really dangerous proposal is to leave Social Security alone, warns Stephen Moore. Two decades ago, notes Jose Pinera, other countries discovered how economically beneficial it is to build a retirement system on private savings rather than government promises. Even Russia beat us to personal retirement accounts, explains Leon Aron. As for claims that the costs of transitioning to the new system will torpedo the U.S. economy--relax, says John Makin.
A Nation of Citizen Investors
By James K. Glassman
The Ownership Society is the biggest political idea since the New Deal. For modest-income citizens in particular, the chance to build inheritable wealth could open doors to a whole new life.
Liberal and Conservative as Defined by the Media
by Chris Weinkopf
To the establishment press, "liberal" and "conservative" aren't so much ideological descriptions as moral ones.
American Enterprise Magazine
Michael Medved
Once a left-wing agitator, he took a right turn toward reality, reason, and religion. Now he's one of the leading analysts of politics and popular culture in America.
Stepping Out of the Tar Pit
by David Brooks
New Kind of Awe in the Mideast
by Youssef Ibrahim
For Bush, Validation in Iraq
by Peter Baker and Robin Wright
The Axis of Oil
by Irwin Stelzer
Exit to where?
by Frank J. Gaffney Jr.
The truth is, whether we like it or not, the United States cannot exit the global war waged against us by Islamofascist terrorists and their allies, any more than we can stop the world and get off it.
Freedom over cynicism
by Lawrence Kudlow
When you read Jordan's King Abdullah is taking steps to organize new elections in his country, with regional election districts that look a lot like Iraq's, you realize just how wrong my friend Peggy Noonan is when she writes President Bush's Inaugural speech "forgot context."
Kerry reminds voters why they rejected him
by David Limbaugh
Ted Kennedy's contemptible foreign policy speech deliberately timed just prior to the Iraqi election was bad enough.
Europe's Crisis
by Arthur Waldron
Might the continent's grave problems force a return to the values that it shares with America?
Doing Justice to the Bible
by Hillel Halkin
A secular literary scholar undertakes a faithful translation of the world's most translated book.
The Election and the Jewish Vote
by Jay Lefkowitz
Despite the uptick for George W. Bush, old communal habits show few signs of breaking.
New Yorker
A Man of the Shadows
Can Iyad Allawi hold Iraq together?
Beating a Dead Parrot
Why Iraq and Vietnam have nothing whatsoever in common.
By Christopher Hitchens
A Jolie Good Time
On "corporate social responsibility" and being stood up by Angelina.
by Bret Stephens
WSJ Editorial
Pride and Prejudice
"Hell no, we won't go" is the wrong liberal approach on Social Security reform.
NY Times
Law Barring Junk E-Mail Allows a Flood Instead
A year after a sweeping federal antispam law went into effect, there is more junk e-mail on the Internet than ever.
There Is No Tomorrow
by Bill Moyers
Hill Sells Out
by Dick Morris
I Like Mike
Michael Chertoff isn't the Neanderthal he's been made out to be.
By Phillip Carter
The Art of Energy
The future will not be painted in oil.
By Peter Huber and Mark Mills
LA Times
NIH to Ban Scientists From Deals With Drug Firms
Federal researchers will no longer be able to accept fees to consult for companies, officials say. Lucrative pacts have sparked ethics probes
GOP Sees Future in Black Churches
By Tom Hamburger and Peter Wallsten
Social issues are binding the party with a group once firmly in the Democratic camp.
W. Times
A taste of the variety and breadth of neocon writing
Wired
Passenger Screening, Take 10
The Transportation Security Administration continues to push for a centralized passenger-screening system, this time using a combination of airline passenger information, terrorist watch lists and junk-mail databases.
by Ryan Singel.
USA Today
In iPod America, legions in tune
Apple's hip music player inspires fanatical devotion
AP
Oops: Government IT Blunders
Experts blame the U.S. government's tendency to reinvent the wheel, along with poor planning, rapid industry advances and the massive scope of billion-dollar projects for its track record of costly technology mistakes.
U2 Vertigo Tour Announces Immediate Sell-Outs in 16 Cities Worldwide, Reports Clear Channel Entertainment
Monday, January 31, 2005
Kerry's math
"If you take half the people at an Ohio State football game on Saturday afternoon and they were to have voted the other way, you and I would be having a discussion today about my State of the Union speech." -- John Kerry on Meet the Press, 1/30/05.
Kerry lost Ohio by 118,775 votes according to CNN and Ohio Stadium has 101,568 seats. He's off the mark by 42%.
Kerry lost Ohio by 118,775 votes according to CNN and Ohio Stadium has 101,568 seats. He's off the mark by 42%.
articles 1/31
NY Sun Staff Editorial
Iraqi Election
NY Sun
Iraqis Line Up to Vote, Break 'Barrier of Fear'
He's Still "That Man"
The Bushies' war on Franklin Roosevelt.
by Daniel Gross
Iraq, the Vote:
A summary of what's in the major U.S. newspapers.
Birth of a Nation?
Iraq is still a mess, but today's election was a dramatic step in the right direction.
by Fred Kaplan
My Sharansky
Bush's favorite book doesn't always endorse his policies.
by Chris Suellentrop
How Much Do You Want to Pay?
Your answer on a postcard, please.
by Stephen Moore
Oil, Oil Everywhere . . .
Why is it expensive? Because it's so cheap.
by Peter Huber & Mark Mills
NY Times
Allawi Vows to Unite Iraq's Ethnic and Religious Groups
A day after the country's first free elections in 50 years, interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi called on all Iraqis today to work together for stability and peace.
Happy Birthday
A roundup of the past two weeks' good news from Iraq.
by Arthur Chrenkoff
WSJ Staff Editorial
The New Iraq
So much for the argument that Arabs don't want democracy.
Looking for Purple Fingers in Sadr City
by Bartle Breese Bull
The Ballot Box Beats the Coffin
by Amir Taheri
Against All Odds, Gaiety in the Streets of Baghdad
by Rod Nordland
Rush Limbaugh's Warning to President Bush on Immigration
by John Fund
Vindicated
by John Podhoretz
Hillary's move
by John Leo
Hillary Clinton is likely to be the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee because she is so much smarter than her rivals now on the horizon.
Gambling with Dean
by Robert Novak
A prominent financier who has been a stalwart of Democratic fund-raising the past half-century told me last week his patience has been exhausted.
Ladies, please ...
by Diana West
For liberty's sake, it is the Boxer Democrats who should be diminished in the eyes of the world -- and particularly the world's women. Will they notice?
W. Times
Determined Kurds flood polling sites
The last time 82-year old Malia Ahmed stepped out of her house in the mountains that divide Iraq from Iran, her hometown of Biyara was controlled by an Islamist militia with links to al Qaeda.
Time
Hunt for the Bomb Factories
TIME follows a team of U.S. Army weapons hunters as they race to separate the insurgents from their arsenals
Newsweek
Shadow war: The elections won't stop the bombers, but quality intel—and luck—might help.
Birmingham's New Legacy
How the work of Martin Luther King Jr. and the murder of Denise McNair led to our new secretary of State.
by Scott Johnson
Bush Versus "Our SOBs"
The president's challenge to friendly dictators.
by Duncan Currie
The Stuff Nations Are Built On
Iraqis now have their own heroic story of resistance.
by Jonah Goldberg
Is the Y Chromosome for Yuks?
The humor battle of the sexes.
By Warren Bell
NY Post
Kemp Letter Reads Like Lobby For Oil Spy
NY Post Editorial
Jack Kemp's Acquaintance
Iraqi Election
NY Sun
Iraqis Line Up to Vote, Break 'Barrier of Fear'
He's Still "That Man"
The Bushies' war on Franklin Roosevelt.
by Daniel Gross
Iraq, the Vote:
A summary of what's in the major U.S. newspapers.
Birth of a Nation?
Iraq is still a mess, but today's election was a dramatic step in the right direction.
by Fred Kaplan
My Sharansky
Bush's favorite book doesn't always endorse his policies.
by Chris Suellentrop
How Much Do You Want to Pay?
Your answer on a postcard, please.
by Stephen Moore
Oil, Oil Everywhere . . .
Why is it expensive? Because it's so cheap.
by Peter Huber & Mark Mills
NY Times
Allawi Vows to Unite Iraq's Ethnic and Religious Groups
A day after the country's first free elections in 50 years, interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi called on all Iraqis today to work together for stability and peace.
Happy Birthday
A roundup of the past two weeks' good news from Iraq.
by Arthur Chrenkoff
WSJ Staff Editorial
The New Iraq
So much for the argument that Arabs don't want democracy.
Looking for Purple Fingers in Sadr City
by Bartle Breese Bull
The Ballot Box Beats the Coffin
by Amir Taheri
Against All Odds, Gaiety in the Streets of Baghdad
by Rod Nordland
Rush Limbaugh's Warning to President Bush on Immigration
by John Fund
Vindicated
by John Podhoretz
Hillary's move
by John Leo
Hillary Clinton is likely to be the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee because she is so much smarter than her rivals now on the horizon.
Gambling with Dean
by Robert Novak
A prominent financier who has been a stalwart of Democratic fund-raising the past half-century told me last week his patience has been exhausted.
Ladies, please ...
by Diana West
For liberty's sake, it is the Boxer Democrats who should be diminished in the eyes of the world -- and particularly the world's women. Will they notice?
W. Times
Determined Kurds flood polling sites
The last time 82-year old Malia Ahmed stepped out of her house in the mountains that divide Iraq from Iran, her hometown of Biyara was controlled by an Islamist militia with links to al Qaeda.
Time
Hunt for the Bomb Factories
TIME follows a team of U.S. Army weapons hunters as they race to separate the insurgents from their arsenals
Newsweek
Shadow war: The elections won't stop the bombers, but quality intel—and luck—might help.
Birmingham's New Legacy
How the work of Martin Luther King Jr. and the murder of Denise McNair led to our new secretary of State.
by Scott Johnson
Bush Versus "Our SOBs"
The president's challenge to friendly dictators.
by Duncan Currie
The Stuff Nations Are Built On
Iraqis now have their own heroic story of resistance.
by Jonah Goldberg
Is the Y Chromosome for Yuks?
The humor battle of the sexes.
By Warren Bell
NY Post
Kemp Letter Reads Like Lobby For Oil Spy
NY Post Editorial
Jack Kemp's Acquaintance
Sunday, January 30, 2005
articles 1/30
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Photos from the Front
Set #1
Set #2
Quotes on the Iraqi Elections
Belmont Club
Did We Win?
W. Times
Bush calls Reagan mentor, Lincoln greatest
George W. Bush's Interview With C-SPAN’s Brian Lamb
Foxnews.com
Independent Election Commission Reporting 72% Turnout
AP
Arabs Mesmerized by Iraqi Elections
A young man smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee in a Saudi cafe worries that Iraq's elections could lead to civil war. On the banks of the Nile, a student strolling with his girlfriend dismisses the polls as a sham meant to place a pro-American government in Iraq. Yemenis, chewing their mildly stimulating khat leaves, express hope the United States will pressure other tyrannical regimes to change.
Reuters
Bush Calls Iraqi Election 'A Resounding Success'
NY Times
Iraqi Voters Turn Out in High Numbers Despite Attacks Intended to Deter Them
NY Times
Amid Attacks, a Party Atmosphere on Baghdad's Closed Streets
A top election official said up to 8 million people turned out to vote, or at least 55 percent of those registered.
Time
The Russians Are Coming
The FBI is concerned about Moscow's growing number of spies. What secrets are they looking for?
Time
Evangelicals in America
American Evangelicalism seems to defy unity, let alone hierarchy. Yet its members share basic commitments. TIME's list focuses on those whose influence is on the rise or who have carved out a singular role
Newsweek
A New Theory on the Origins of Life
How did life, in its infinite complexity, come to be? A controversial new theory called 'intelligent design' asserts a supernatural agent was at work
The Doctrine That Never Died
by Tom Wolfe
Bush's Not-So-Impossible Dream
by Robert Caldwell
Whatever the Result, This is a Triumphant Election
by Andrew Sullivan, Sunday Times
Iraq is Going to Be Just Fine
by Mark Steyn
Each Vote Strikes at Terror
by Walter Russell Mead
The Crux of Modern Conservatism
by George Will
The Inventor of Modern Conservatism
by David Gelernter
W. Post
Houston's 'Smiling Preacher'
Joel Osteen leads the largest, fastest growing church in the country.
W. Post Magazine
Rich Man, Poor Man
Jack Whittaker's big Powerball win cost him -- and everyone around him -- dearly
It was coming up on Christmas, and Brenda-the-biscuit-lady was inexplicably happy as she walked to work in the predawn darkness. Brenda didn't just make biscuits over at the C&L Super Serve for $6 an hour. She served up good cheer.
Meet The Press -- John Kerry Interview Transcript
W. Times
Churches decry 'commercial censorship'
The ongoing controversy between the media and religion heated up this month with Rolling Stone's initial rejection of an ad for a new version of the Bible.
NY Times Magazine
The Uncommitted
When it comes to Iraqi democracy, everyone's a defeatist — except the Iraqis.
NY Times Magazine
Middle Age? Bring It On
A subculture challenges the way older women are supposed to behave — and creates a new market.
W. Post
Buzz About Scalia Increases
No one doubts that Bush would at least consider Scalia for chief justice.
AP
Teen Abortion Bill Could Have Big Impact
The abortion bill most likely to become federal law this year would affect a relatively small number of pregnant teens, yet its impact on them could be dramatic — sharply reducing the options for girls in many states who dread telling their parents of their plight.
Sex Slaves? Lock Up the Pimps
by Nickolas Kristof
Reuters
Apple Edges Google as Top Brand
Arabic media channel Al Jazeera has been voted the world's fifth most influential brand in a poll of branding professionals that gave the top slot to U.S. iPod and computer icon Apple.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Election Day in Iraq
Live Election Coverage on C-SPAN from 2-4 p.m. ET.
For ground level election news from Iraq, check out the Friends of Democracy blog.
More Iraqi Election Blog Coverage
An unidentified Iraqi wears buttons urging people to vote in the southern Iraqi city of Basra.
after voting in Southgate, Michigan. His son
was killed in the Shi'ite uprising against
Saddam Hussein in 1991 and did not live
to see a free Iraq.
Tomorrow.
Less than a day before I get to vote for the first time in real elections. One that I chose to participate in and that I've dreamed about for such a long time.
On the Eve of the Elections
An American soldier sends this dispatch from Iraq
The Rise of the Not-So-Conservative Conservatives
by Victor Davis Hanson
The Long Road to a Vote
by Bakhtiar Dargali
Friday, January 28, 2005
articles 1/29
A Day of Iraqi Hope
by Steve Hadley
Running Into the Sand?
As Bush's second term begins, the world press asks, "Is Iran next?"
by Carl Schrag
Wired.com
A Century of Einstein
A hundred years ago, Albert Einstein shook up physics and the world with his ideas. Where would we be without them?
Freedom Over Cynicism
by Lawrence Kudlow
The Bushies' New Groove
by David Brooks
The Ruthless Party
by Fred Barnes
They're Paranoid, We're Blasé
The civilized world needs to answer Islamist conspiracy propaganda.
by Melik Kaylan
Why the world is still in the shadow of Churchill
by Charles Moore
Who’s afraid of Social Security reform?
by Donald R. May
There is much opposition to President Bush’s plans to reform Social Security and provide taxpayers with Personal Retirement Accounts (PRAs) that they actually own and can pass on to their heirs.
The Branding of a Heretic
Are religious scientists unwelcome at the Smithsonian?
by David Klinghoffer
My IPod, My Self
Marketing professor Markus Giesler has some colorful ideas about Apple's music player. He argues it transforms listeners into "cyborg consumers," plugging them into a "hybrid entertainment matrix" where they can achieve "technotranscendence."
Tolkien Gets Ringing Endorsement
A new documentary about J.R.R. Tolkien's ardent fans traces the author's impact on pop culture, from '60s hippies to current-day movie fans.
The Lock Busters
They've never met a padlock - or six-pin paracentric cylinder - they couldn't crack. Live, from the lock-picking championship of the world.
Spring Training Preview: Reds
The Reds roll into spring training with several new arms in their arsenal, an outfield overloaded with question marks, and no Barry Larkin for the first time in 20 years.
Spring Training Preview: Braves
With the additions of All-Star pitchers Tim Hudson and Dan Kolb, the Braves' storied staff looks as strong as ever. However, they have some serious outfield questions if they hope to win a 14th consecutive division title.
Spring Training Preview: Red Sox
Think the Red Sox were in uncharted waters last fall when they shook the 86-year curse and won it all? How about now that they are the defending champs and have the proverbial target on their backs?
Spring Training Preview: White Sox
White Sox general manager Kenny Williams has run Chicago's front office with as much patience and loyalty as a Hollywood marriage, and he's welcomed several new partners into his South Side bedroom again this offseason.
Spring Training Preview: Tigers
The Tigers have won just 115 games over the last two seasons, but surprisingly they have their lineup and rotation all but set heading into spring training. That doesn't mean there aren't some questions to be answered.
Spring Training Preview: Astros
With Roger Clemens re-signing and Andy Pettitte returning, the starting staff is still potent. However, the Astros have some serious questions about a lineup that lost Carlos Beltran and Jeff Kent to free agency and will likely be without Lance Berkman for the first month of the season.
Spring Training Preview: Orioles
The Orioles really wanted to sign some big-name free agents this offseason, but like Jorge Julio, the front office proved to be shaky when trying to close deals. As a result, the Orioles own a roster full of familiar names and question marks.
Spring Training Preview: Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers didn't augment their team name (the Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles) or change their classic uniforms, but there will be a whole bunch of different faces in camp this spring.
Chicago Tribune
U2 apologizes for site's ticket sale debacle
by Steve Hadley
Running Into the Sand?
As Bush's second term begins, the world press asks, "Is Iran next?"
by Carl Schrag
Wired.com
A Century of Einstein
A hundred years ago, Albert Einstein shook up physics and the world with his ideas. Where would we be without them?
Freedom Over Cynicism
by Lawrence Kudlow
The Bushies' New Groove
by David Brooks
The Ruthless Party
by Fred Barnes
They're Paranoid, We're Blasé
The civilized world needs to answer Islamist conspiracy propaganda.
by Melik Kaylan
Why the world is still in the shadow of Churchill
by Charles Moore
Who’s afraid of Social Security reform?
by Donald R. May
There is much opposition to President Bush’s plans to reform Social Security and provide taxpayers with Personal Retirement Accounts (PRAs) that they actually own and can pass on to their heirs.
The Branding of a Heretic
Are religious scientists unwelcome at the Smithsonian?
by David Klinghoffer
My IPod, My Self
Marketing professor Markus Giesler has some colorful ideas about Apple's music player. He argues it transforms listeners into "cyborg consumers," plugging them into a "hybrid entertainment matrix" where they can achieve "technotranscendence."
Tolkien Gets Ringing Endorsement
A new documentary about J.R.R. Tolkien's ardent fans traces the author's impact on pop culture, from '60s hippies to current-day movie fans.
The Lock Busters
They've never met a padlock - or six-pin paracentric cylinder - they couldn't crack. Live, from the lock-picking championship of the world.
Spring Training Preview: Reds
The Reds roll into spring training with several new arms in their arsenal, an outfield overloaded with question marks, and no Barry Larkin for the first time in 20 years.
Spring Training Preview: Braves
With the additions of All-Star pitchers Tim Hudson and Dan Kolb, the Braves' storied staff looks as strong as ever. However, they have some serious outfield questions if they hope to win a 14th consecutive division title.
Spring Training Preview: Red Sox
Think the Red Sox were in uncharted waters last fall when they shook the 86-year curse and won it all? How about now that they are the defending champs and have the proverbial target on their backs?
Spring Training Preview: White Sox
White Sox general manager Kenny Williams has run Chicago's front office with as much patience and loyalty as a Hollywood marriage, and he's welcomed several new partners into his South Side bedroom again this offseason.
Spring Training Preview: Tigers
The Tigers have won just 115 games over the last two seasons, but surprisingly they have their lineup and rotation all but set heading into spring training. That doesn't mean there aren't some questions to be answered.
Spring Training Preview: Astros
With Roger Clemens re-signing and Andy Pettitte returning, the starting staff is still potent. However, the Astros have some serious questions about a lineup that lost Carlos Beltran and Jeff Kent to free agency and will likely be without Lance Berkman for the first month of the season.
Spring Training Preview: Orioles
The Orioles really wanted to sign some big-name free agents this offseason, but like Jorge Julio, the front office proved to be shaky when trying to close deals. As a result, the Orioles own a roster full of familiar names and question marks.
Spring Training Preview: Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers didn't augment their team name (the Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles) or change their classic uniforms, but there will be a whole bunch of different faces in camp this spring.
Chicago Tribune
U2 apologizes for site's ticket sale debacle
articles 1/28
For ground level election news from Iraq, check out the Friends of Democracy blog. They have a great mission.
WSJ Editorial
Harry Reid's Choice
Will the new Minority Leader follow Ted Kennedy off a cliff?
USA Today
HHS says it paid columnist for help Bush's marriage initiative touted
The War Room
Demystifying the Science and Art of Political Polling
by Mark Blumenthal
The Tragic End of a Liberal Iraq
by Lawrence Kaplan
Freedom Just Another Word?
by Daniel Henninger
John Edwards's Gamble
by E.J. Dionne
3 Reasons Liberals Should Back Scalia For Chief Justice
by S. Lubet
The All American skin game
by Jonah Goldberg
The Condoleezza Rice nomination was a sorry spectacle, but not in the way everyone is saying.
In Search Of
The Democratic debate on abortion may finally help the party find an identity.
by Terry Eastland
Open Letter
A bipartisan group urges the congressional leadership to substantively increase the size of the Army and the Marines.
NY Times
Bush Says Iraqi Leaders Will Want U.S. Forces to Stay to Help
President Bush said in an interview that he would withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq if the new government asked him to do so.
W. Post
Bush Faces Skepticism From Hill Republicans
The president is calling for bolder legislative action than many lawmakers are willing to support.
Rice and Democratic Politics
By Charles Krauthammer
W. Times
Journalists in line of fire as Iraq's election nears
Iraq's first free election on Sunday will be a day both of testing and of triumph for the corps of independent journalists that has rushed into the democratic space created by Saddam Hussein's fall.
Choice vs. coercion
by Linda Chavez
The Iraqi election is a referendum on the very idea that individuals have a right to make decisions about their own lives.
W. Times
Kennedy says U.S. presence in Iraq is fueling insurgency
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy yesterday said U.S. troops, instead of defeating the insurgency in Iraq, are spawning it, and he called for immediate withdrawal of 12,000 troops after this weekend's election and a complete pullout by early next year.
A Reign On the Wane?
By David Ignatius
Disclosure and glass houses
by Glenn Reynolds
Full Disclosure
by David Frum
NY Sun
Allawi Runs With Alleged Baathists
Wired.com
Revenge of the Right Brain
Logical and precise, left-brain thinking gave us the Information Age. Now comes the Conceptual Age - led by artistry, empathy, and emotion.
U2's Bono wins fans at Davos
Rock star's deep knowledge of issues earns respect from experts
WSJ Editorial
Harry Reid's Choice
Will the new Minority Leader follow Ted Kennedy off a cliff?
USA Today
HHS says it paid columnist for help Bush's marriage initiative touted
The War Room
Demystifying the Science and Art of Political Polling
by Mark Blumenthal
The Tragic End of a Liberal Iraq
by Lawrence Kaplan
Freedom Just Another Word?
by Daniel Henninger
John Edwards's Gamble
by E.J. Dionne
3 Reasons Liberals Should Back Scalia For Chief Justice
by S. Lubet
The All American skin game
by Jonah Goldberg
The Condoleezza Rice nomination was a sorry spectacle, but not in the way everyone is saying.
In Search Of
The Democratic debate on abortion may finally help the party find an identity.
by Terry Eastland
Open Letter
A bipartisan group urges the congressional leadership to substantively increase the size of the Army and the Marines.
NY Times
Bush Says Iraqi Leaders Will Want U.S. Forces to Stay to Help
President Bush said in an interview that he would withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq if the new government asked him to do so.
W. Post
Bush Faces Skepticism From Hill Republicans
The president is calling for bolder legislative action than many lawmakers are willing to support.
Rice and Democratic Politics
By Charles Krauthammer
W. Times
Journalists in line of fire as Iraq's election nears
Iraq's first free election on Sunday will be a day both of testing and of triumph for the corps of independent journalists that has rushed into the democratic space created by Saddam Hussein's fall.
Choice vs. coercion
by Linda Chavez
The Iraqi election is a referendum on the very idea that individuals have a right to make decisions about their own lives.
W. Times
Kennedy says U.S. presence in Iraq is fueling insurgency
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy yesterday said U.S. troops, instead of defeating the insurgency in Iraq, are spawning it, and he called for immediate withdrawal of 12,000 troops after this weekend's election and a complete pullout by early next year.
A Reign On the Wane?
By David Ignatius
Disclosure and glass houses
by Glenn Reynolds
Full Disclosure
by David Frum
NY Sun
Allawi Runs With Alleged Baathists
Wired.com
Revenge of the Right Brain
Logical and precise, left-brain thinking gave us the Information Age. Now comes the Conceptual Age - led by artistry, empathy, and emotion.
U2's Bono wins fans at Davos
Rock star's deep knowledge of issues earns respect from experts
Thursday, January 27, 2005
articles 1/27
Slate
2020 Vision
A CIA report predicts that American global dominance could end in 15 years.
by Fred Kaplan
National Intelligence Council
Mapping the Global Future: Report of the National Intelligence Council's 2020 Project
Social Security Choice Blog
Because Every American Should Have Their Own Nest Egg
Sponsored by the Club for Growth, this site seeks to promote “The Ownership Society” by advocating personal accounts for Social Security.
Cracks in the Chinese Wall
After Zhao Ziyang's death, Beijing's communist rulers try but fail to control the Internet.
by Emily Parker
To the Races
Iraqi pols debate.
by Walid Phares
W. Post
Civil Service System on Way Out at DHS
White House Wants All Agencies to Have Option of Setting Own Personnel Policies
Ukraine's Lesson for Putin
by Jim Hoagland
USA Today
Spending on PR doubled under Bush, report says
The Bush administration has more than doubled its spending on outside contracts with public relations firms during the past four years, according to an analysis of federal procurement data by congressional Democrats.
WSJ Editorial
The Airport Road
America must act to secure Iraq's most vital artery.
Self-indulgence
by Thomas Sowell
The enraged speeches and street disorders across the country that accompanied the inauguration of President Bush may tell us more than we want to know about what is happening to this country.
The Zaraqawi rally
by Larry Kudlow
No one seems to be connecting the dots, but I'm willing to bet that the capture of the top assistant to terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al Zarqawi was the trigger for Tuesday's best-in-the-new-year stock market rally.
Further Thoughts on the Inaugural Address
by Peggy Noonan
NY Sun
Bush Presses Guest-Worker Program
Digging Into Seymour Hersh
by Max Boot
Hillary Clinton's Anti-Abortion Strategy
by William Saletan
Foreign Policy Judo
by Nibras Kazimi
Bureaucracy plus plastic chairs?
by Marvin Olasky
Hopkins hysteria
by George WillIs this the fruit of feminism?
USA Today
Study: Internet doesn't deserve bad rep
New report says 72% of identity thefts done last year were offline.
WSJ Editorial
![[Deficit Realities]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_teUp9IKqipnzPkq5VQ7ECvJUgsTSx4FXr6rVWW32gExdFruDyfiDOm-1Ie8_9aYPKAiUngbw9N0CC8bDPkBvCSDAu4UqkDJ91vkcOJxG-hDPcpizPKjxn1OoCs769XGDY_HqL3v4dSxP1z-OBsACkkzwUF=s0-d)
The other thing to know is revealed in the lighter bars in the chart, which show debt held by the public as a share of GDP. This is the most telling measure of the federal debt burden because it indicates a country's ability to service that debt. And the chart shows the U.S. burden staying more or less constant through this decade despite the fact that annual deficits will add to the total amount of debt...
It is also true that these debt figures do not include the future liabilities for Medicare and Social Security that politicians have promised. But Congressman John Spratt (D., S.C.) and other self-described "deficit hawks" could raise taxes beyond their wildest dreams and never raise enough revenue to pay for those promises. The only way to reduce those liabilities is to reform those entitlement programs -- for example, with private Social Security accounts that will build wealth over time. Any politician who moans about the "deficit" or the "national debt" and opposes entitlement reform is really arguing for a tax increase.
2020 Vision
A CIA report predicts that American global dominance could end in 15 years.
by Fred Kaplan
National Intelligence Council
Mapping the Global Future: Report of the National Intelligence Council's 2020 Project
Social Security Choice Blog
Because Every American Should Have Their Own Nest Egg
Sponsored by the Club for Growth, this site seeks to promote “The Ownership Society” by advocating personal accounts for Social Security.
Cracks in the Chinese Wall
After Zhao Ziyang's death, Beijing's communist rulers try but fail to control the Internet.
by Emily Parker
To the Races
Iraqi pols debate.
by Walid Phares
W. Post
Civil Service System on Way Out at DHS
White House Wants All Agencies to Have Option of Setting Own Personnel Policies
Ukraine's Lesson for Putin
by Jim Hoagland
USA Today
Spending on PR doubled under Bush, report says
The Bush administration has more than doubled its spending on outside contracts with public relations firms during the past four years, according to an analysis of federal procurement data by congressional Democrats.
WSJ Editorial
The Airport Road
America must act to secure Iraq's most vital artery.
Self-indulgence
by Thomas Sowell
The enraged speeches and street disorders across the country that accompanied the inauguration of President Bush may tell us more than we want to know about what is happening to this country.
The Zaraqawi rally
by Larry Kudlow
No one seems to be connecting the dots, but I'm willing to bet that the capture of the top assistant to terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al Zarqawi was the trigger for Tuesday's best-in-the-new-year stock market rally.
Further Thoughts on the Inaugural Address
by Peggy Noonan
NY Sun
Bush Presses Guest-Worker Program
Digging Into Seymour Hersh
by Max Boot
Hillary Clinton's Anti-Abortion Strategy
by William Saletan
Foreign Policy Judo
by Nibras Kazimi
Bureaucracy plus plastic chairs?
by Marvin Olasky
Hopkins hysteria
by George WillIs this the fruit of feminism?
USA Today
Study: Internet doesn't deserve bad rep
New report says 72% of identity thefts done last year were offline.
WSJ Editorial
All You Need to Know
We realize these CBO estimates don't include future spending on the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. But as CBO points out, revenues are expected to grow rapidly over the decade, especially in individual income taxes. The progressive nature of the U.S. tax code means that, as growth raises incomes, more and more people are pushed into higher tax brackets, even if President Bush's tax cuts are made permanent.
The other thing to know is revealed in the lighter bars in the chart, which show debt held by the public as a share of GDP. This is the most telling measure of the federal debt burden because it indicates a country's ability to service that debt. And the chart shows the U.S. burden staying more or less constant through this decade despite the fact that annual deficits will add to the total amount of debt...
It is also true that these debt figures do not include the future liabilities for Medicare and Social Security that politicians have promised. But Congressman John Spratt (D., S.C.) and other self-described "deficit hawks" could raise taxes beyond their wildest dreams and never raise enough revenue to pay for those promises. The only way to reduce those liabilities is to reform those entitlement programs -- for example, with private Social Security accounts that will build wealth over time. Any politician who moans about the "deficit" or the "national debt" and opposes entitlement reform is really arguing for a tax increase.
The Hill
Inaugural run-in for Reid aide
Praise for Newt Gingrich's Bold, New Political Strategy
by Steve Forbes
ESPN.com
Spring Training Reporting Dates
Bring on the Love: U2’s How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
by Jeff Keuss, Presbyterian Church (USA) pastor, currently Visiting Professor of Theology and Ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary, Seattle Pacific University and Northwest Graduate School.
Contactmusic.com
Bush Left Bono Speechless
Bono: I Need Bandmates To Keep Me Together
Bono Explains Conversations
Business 2.0
The Smart List
Bold thinkers. Brilliant ideas. Clever strategies. Savvy execution. Our annual tip of the hat to the brightest minds in business and the miraculous feats they've accomplished.
Smartest Ad Campaign
Silhouettes and Synergy
Thanks to a smart decision to cross-promote two well-known entertainment brands -- a collaboration hatched by U2 lead singer Bono and Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who are longtime friends -- each side contributed an edgy dose of cool to the advertising effort, which was produced by TBWA/Chiat/Day. "U2 exudes everything Apple wants to stand for -- and vice versa," says Joseph Jaffe, president of Jaffe marketing consultancy. "Independence, creativity, self-expression, and authenticity."
The pairing scored with music fans. Following its exclusive release on Apple's iTunes Music Store, U2's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb went on to top the iTunes sales charts for weeks after its late-November debut. Offline the album launched at the top of the U.S. pop charts, selling almost twice as many copies as U2's last U.S. release did during its first week -- a success that rescued the band from the purgatory of "classic rock" status.
For this, U2 and its Interscope/Geffen/A&M label credit iTunes and the $20 million TV campaign Apple undertook to back the partnership. (U2 agreed to appear in the ads for free.) As Bono put it, "We want our audience to have a more intimate online relationship with the band, and Apple can help us do that."
Independent of download revenue, Apple also used the U2 campaign to send a powerful message to Microsoft (MSFT), RealNetworks (RNWK), Sony (SNE), and other competitors that hope to cut into iTunes's 70 percent market share for online song downloads: Back off. "It's game, set, and match," Jaffe says. "Word of mouth built the iPod/iTunes franchise, and the U2 campaign has solidified it."
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
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