Independent Inquiry Committees Report on the U.N.
NY Sun Editorial
No Pleasant Reading
Sen. Coleman Statement re. Volcker Report
U.N. follies
by Clifford D. May
Iraq The Model
It's Hard To Believe The Terrorists Can Sink Any Lower, But...
Pravda
Mikhail Gorbachev deeply disappointed in Putin
W. Times
Women in combat ban again at issue
The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee has ordered an investigation into whether transformed Army divisions are violating the Pentagon rule against sex-integrated support units embedding with land combat battalions.
About That Hug...
by John Podhoretz
One on one with the president
by Cal Thomas
Responding to criticism from some Democrats over his Iraq policy and their calls to begin an immediate troop withdrawal, President Bush told me in a one-on-one Oval Office interview the day before his State of the Union address that his critics have things out of order.
Ripples afar
by James Lileks
After the succesful elections in Afghanistan and Iraq, the reactionary is left in a quandary.
W. Times Editorial
CNN's line of fire
Dean for DNC chairman? Yeeaarrgghh!
by Jeff Jacoby
The Democratic National Committee won't officially elect its next chairman until Feb. 12, so Howard Dean doesn't have the job wrapped up just yet.
USA Today
Some Dems nervous as Dean resurges
New Republic
The Outsiders: How Dean Won
by Ryan Lizza
An open process with all the trappings of a modern political campaign--including a seven-candidate field, fund-raising, regional debates, and smear campaigns in the press--is unprecedented in the party's history. To many Washington Democrats watching the circus-like contest from afar, it has been an embarrassment. "I think it's pathetic," says James Carville. "It's so indicative of the Democratic Party. Now we're just playing into every stereotype: We're weak, disorganized, flopping around. ... Somebody should have fixed this damn thing in November. I wish someone would have taken charge and three or four people would have gotten together in a smoke-filled room. ... They're not running for president! They are running for party chair. This is supposed to be a rigged deal. You think the Republicans would do it this way?"
Howard Dean and the Democrats
by Andrew E. Busch
A Suicidal Selection
With Dean as party chairman, the Democrats wouldn't need enemies.
by Jonathan Chait, senior editor of The New Republic
Translation of Democratic response to President's SOTU speech
by David Limbaugh
One integral theme emerged from the Democratic response to President Bush's State of the Union address: the party's underestimation of the American people to solve their own problems and to see through liberal rhetoric.
W. Post
The Moment That America Embraced
The angry left rides again
Janeane Garofalo, compares the Republican congressmen showing their ink-dipped fingers during the SOTU to a Nazi salute.
Bush Has a Vision. The Democrats Barely Register
by James Pinkerton
A President Not Afraid to Lead
by Ralph Peters
Larry King Transcript
Interview with Donald Rumsfeld
AP
Rumsfeld Says He Offered to Resign Twice
A supply-side State of the Union
by Larry Kudlow
President Bush was strong and steadfast as he delivered his State of the Union plans to fiscally restructure the economy and press ahead with his foreign-policy vision of democratization and freedom.
Moyers and the party of gloom
by Mona Charen
Speaking at Harvard recently, Bill Moyers, a preacher in the Church of Unreconstructed Liberalism, painstakingly constructed a straw man and then bashed it to pieces.
Moving the goalposts on Iraq
by Jonah Goldberg
All of the sophisticates and cynics insisted that having elections would be a bloody fool's errand.
An Honest Portrait of Fidel
The new PBS biography of Castro is fair, balanced, and unafraid.
by Duncan Currie
The Global Throng
Why the world’s elites gnash their teeth.
by Victor Davis Hanson
Normal Service Resumed
The George Bush the nation re-elected is back.
by Peggy Noonan
WSJ Editorial
Reform at Home
Today's progressive agenda is public "trust" busting.
The Propaganda President
George W. Bush does his best Kim Jong-il.
By Jack Shafer
The Liberal Beast Meets Mr. Right
by Tony Blankley
A Gesture With a Point
Iraqis give terrorists the finger.
by Tunku Varadarajan
NY Times
Rice Says U.S. Attack on Iran 'Not on the Agenda'
Which Foreign Policy?
By David Ignatius
Free to Dance in Iraq
By Charles Krauthammer
W. Post
In Netherlands, Anti-Islamic Polemic Comes With a Price
Bush's Social Security Speech in North Dakota
The State of George W. Bush
by David Corn, The Nation
Reuters
Iran's Supreme Leader Hits Back at Bush Speech
Iran's Supreme Leader Thursday hit back at President Bush's accusations against the Islamic state and said he would fail like his four predecessors to topple Tehran's clerical leadership.
AP
Marine General Counseled for Comments
"Actually it’s quite fun to fight ’em, you know. It’s a hell of a hoot. It’s fun to shoot some people. I’ll be right up front with you, I like brawling," said Mattis. "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn’t wear a veil," Mattis said during a panel discussion. "You know, guys like that ain’t got no manhood left anyway. So it’s a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."
W. Post
Watergate Papers Go Public
University of Texas to Unveil Woodward-Bernstein Collection
Wired
The Painful Truth
The Iraq war is a new kind of hell. There are more survivors among the wounded -- but more maimed and shattered limbs than ever. A revolution in battlefield medicine is helping them conquer the pain.
Reuters
Study Finds Religious Polarization in U.S. Voters
Wired
Canadians Fight for Privacy
A government decision to outsource health records to a company in the states has Canadians worried that sensitive information will wind up in the hands of the U.S. government.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Thursday, February 03, 2005
articles 2/3
NY Sun
'Broad Latitude' Is Recommended For U.S. Military's Stay in Iraq
WSJ
You can stop sending ski jackets and Viagra to Sri Lanka
The recent outpouring of tsunami support has brought with it a mountain of unusable stuff from the Western world, according to this story. That includes cozy winter hats, Arctic-weather tents, cologne and thong underwear.
USA Today
Why Bush wants personal retirement accounts
He's been talking about creating an ‘ownership society' for decades. Top aides envision a new era of GOP dominance. There's one problem: Americans are sharply divided over his plan.
CNN
Poll: Bush wins converts among speech-watchers
My Thanks to the British People
by Iyad Allawi
Getting to Know the Sufis
There is a tolerant, pluralist tradition in Islam. We can't afford to ignore it.
by Stephen Schwartz
Media Notes
Two incidents highlight the mainstream media's defects and biases.
by Hugh Hewitt
Captain's Quarters
MSM Silence on Eason Jordan
The Endless Party
What do Democrats stand for? The real question is, what do they stand against?
by William Voegeli
WSJ Editorial
The 'Exit Strategy'
Democrats The only thing they can't imagine is success in Iraq.
George Bush Talks Big, and He Delivers
by Max Boot
Democrats Look Weak Calling For Iraq 'Exit'
by Mort Kondracke
Sex, Politics and President Hillary
by Margaret Carlson
So Far, Boxer Stages a Rebellion of One
by Sheryl McCarthy
Steady Leadership
President Bush's cognitive dissonance.
By William Saletan
The Afghan crisis
by Robert Novak
Afghanistan, portrayed as a victory in the U.S. war against terror, is a disaster in the war against drugs.
Making the ownership society a reality
by Townhall.com Editors
President Bush's State of the Union address provided an opportunity for him to once again advance his vision of an ownership society. He didn't let that opportunity go to waste.
The green 'state of fear'
by Suzanne Fields
Now a new kind of fame brings Michael Crichton to Washington to speak to policy wonks.
Iraq the vote
by Ann Coulter
In one of the grandest events in the history of the world, millions of Iraqis risked death on Sunday to vote in a free, democratic election.
No Exit
The State of the Union made Bush's Iraq strategy perfectly clear. Iran, that's a different story. By Fred Kaplan
Bush to Geezers: Save Yourselves!
On Social Security, the president says to throw the kids overboard.
By Chris Suellentrop
Tangled up in Purple
An off-the-cuff moment in the State of the Union Address.
By Dana Stevens
LA Times
Council Gained From 'Oil-for-Food'
U.N. Security members were less willing to police the Iraqi program due to economics.
Volcker posts - Technorari search
Oil-For-Food -- Google News
A Day to Remember
by Thomas Freidman
A Win for Campaign Reform
By David S. Broder
NY Times
Introducing Private Investments to the Safety Net
Americans born after 1949 would be confronted with a very different Social Security system under President Bush's plan.
NY Sun Editorial
The Hug of Freedom
Wired.com
Scientists Find Missing Matter
Astrophysicists have been unable to find half the "normal" matter of the universe. But a look into space with the Chandra X-ray Observatory reveals it is probably hiding several hundred million miles away. By Amit Asaravala.
USA Today
Napster aims to sack Apple iTunes
AARP, Chase Debut Industry's First Combined Membership, Credit Card
Financial Times
Retirees have one less thing to remember when renting a car: their discount.
AARP, the lobbying group for senior citizens, has just launched the first combination membership/credit card with Chase. And people who use it to rent an Avis car will automatically get their members' discount."One of the things that's important to our members is the discount.
"They wanted it in a really simple way," Nina Tiller, AARP's programme manager of loan and credit, tells Observer. "Before, they had to ask for it and book in advance. Now they just have to give the card and they automatically get that discount."
Evidently, this wasn't the easiest thing to set up, and the folks at Chase had to do some fancy engineering so existing Visa cards would register the discount. If only they could get retirees to switch off their left-turn signals ...
Cardweb
Combo Card
Old farts can trim down their wallets as the AARP is now combining its VISA card with its membership card. The jazzed-up card is also sporting new technology to give cardholders automatic discounts at the point-of-sale.
The "AARP Platinum VISA," issued by Chase, offers a full one percent back on all card purchases. Every time cardholders accumulate 2,500 points, they may select their desired reward - $25 cash back or a $25 gift certificate to one of several merchants including gas stations, restaurants, major travel and entertainment providers and other top retailers. For more information visit: www.bankone.com/aarp .
'Broad Latitude' Is Recommended For U.S. Military's Stay in Iraq
WSJ
You can stop sending ski jackets and Viagra to Sri Lanka
The recent outpouring of tsunami support has brought with it a mountain of unusable stuff from the Western world, according to this story. That includes cozy winter hats, Arctic-weather tents, cologne and thong underwear.
USA Today
Why Bush wants personal retirement accounts
He's been talking about creating an ‘ownership society' for decades. Top aides envision a new era of GOP dominance. There's one problem: Americans are sharply divided over his plan.
CNN
Poll: Bush wins converts among speech-watchers
My Thanks to the British People
by Iyad Allawi
Getting to Know the Sufis
There is a tolerant, pluralist tradition in Islam. We can't afford to ignore it.
by Stephen Schwartz
Media Notes
Two incidents highlight the mainstream media's defects and biases.
by Hugh Hewitt
Captain's Quarters
MSM Silence on Eason Jordan
The Endless Party
What do Democrats stand for? The real question is, what do they stand against?
by William Voegeli
WSJ Editorial
The 'Exit Strategy'
Democrats The only thing they can't imagine is success in Iraq.
George Bush Talks Big, and He Delivers
by Max Boot
Democrats Look Weak Calling For Iraq 'Exit'
by Mort Kondracke
Sex, Politics and President Hillary
by Margaret Carlson
So Far, Boxer Stages a Rebellion of One
by Sheryl McCarthy
Steady Leadership
President Bush's cognitive dissonance.
By William Saletan
The Afghan crisis
by Robert Novak
Afghanistan, portrayed as a victory in the U.S. war against terror, is a disaster in the war against drugs.
Making the ownership society a reality
by Townhall.com Editors
President Bush's State of the Union address provided an opportunity for him to once again advance his vision of an ownership society. He didn't let that opportunity go to waste.
The green 'state of fear'
by Suzanne Fields
Now a new kind of fame brings Michael Crichton to Washington to speak to policy wonks.
Iraq the vote
by Ann Coulter
In one of the grandest events in the history of the world, millions of Iraqis risked death on Sunday to vote in a free, democratic election.
No Exit
The State of the Union made Bush's Iraq strategy perfectly clear. Iran, that's a different story. By Fred Kaplan
Bush to Geezers: Save Yourselves!
On Social Security, the president says to throw the kids overboard.
By Chris Suellentrop
Tangled up in Purple
An off-the-cuff moment in the State of the Union Address.
By Dana Stevens
LA Times
Council Gained From 'Oil-for-Food'
U.N. Security members were less willing to police the Iraqi program due to economics.
Volcker posts - Technorari search
Oil-For-Food -- Google News
A Day to Remember
by Thomas Freidman
A Win for Campaign Reform
By David S. Broder
NY Times
Introducing Private Investments to the Safety Net
Americans born after 1949 would be confronted with a very different Social Security system under President Bush's plan.
NY Sun Editorial
The Hug of Freedom
Wired.com
Scientists Find Missing Matter
Astrophysicists have been unable to find half the "normal" matter of the universe. But a look into space with the Chandra X-ray Observatory reveals it is probably hiding several hundred million miles away. By Amit Asaravala.
USA Today
Napster aims to sack Apple iTunes
AARP, Chase Debut Industry's First Combined Membership, Credit Card
Financial Times
Retirees have one less thing to remember when renting a car: their discount.
AARP, the lobbying group for senior citizens, has just launched the first combination membership/credit card with Chase. And people who use it to rent an Avis car will automatically get their members' discount."One of the things that's important to our members is the discount.
"They wanted it in a really simple way," Nina Tiller, AARP's programme manager of loan and credit, tells Observer. "Before, they had to ask for it and book in advance. Now they just have to give the card and they automatically get that discount."
Evidently, this wasn't the easiest thing to set up, and the folks at Chase had to do some fancy engineering so existing Visa cards would register the discount. If only they could get retirees to switch off their left-turn signals ...
Cardweb
Combo Card
Old farts can trim down their wallets as the AARP is now combining its VISA card with its membership card. The jazzed-up card is also sporting new technology to give cardholders automatic discounts at the point-of-sale.
Cardholders simply present their "AARP VISA" at Avis when renting an automobile, and receive an automatic discount. A summary of the discount will be printed on the Avis sales receipt. Avis is the first merchant to join the program and offer the new technology, but additional partners will be forthcoming.
The "AARP Platinum VISA," issued by Chase, offers a full one percent back on all card purchases. Every time cardholders accumulate 2,500 points, they may select their desired reward - $25 cash back or a $25 gift certificate to one of several merchants including gas stations, restaurants, major travel and entertainment providers and other top retailers. For more information visit: www.bankone.com/aarp .
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
White House Results
We hope you find this Results.Gov website of value. We want to keep you informed of the President's expectations, goals, and policies and to let you know whom the Administration's leaders are and how to get in touch with them. We also want to support the implementation of the very important President's Management Agenda, and to help you be most knowledgeable about many of the rules and processes that are particular to the Federal government.
We invite every Federal employee, every member of the President's team, political or career, to use this site. Here you can find:
monthly progress reports on each of the five components of the President's Management Agenda,
periodic reports from each of the Departments and Agencies on their Management Agenda successes and setbacks,
information to help you better understand the Federal ethics rules, records management, the legislative process, and other matters particular to Washington, and
interviews and commentary from government leaders, past and present.
We want the site to help you, the Administration, and the entire Federal government be successful at better serving the American people.
We welcome your feedback about the site, what you like and don't like, and who you would like to hear from and on what topics. Please use the email feature at the bottom of the President's Team page to let us know what you think about Results.Gov.
Thank you,
Clay Johnson, Deputy Director of OMB for Management
We invite every Federal employee, every member of the President's team, political or career, to use this site. Here you can find:
messages from the President on what he expects of us and how he believes we are doing,
pictures, brief bios, and contact information for each Senate confirmed appointee, the Chiefs of Staff, and senior White House staff members,
monthly progress reports on each of the five components of the President's Management Agenda,
periodic reports from each of the Departments and Agencies on their Management Agenda successes and setbacks,
information to help you better understand the Federal ethics rules, records management, the legislative process, and other matters particular to Washington, and
interviews and commentary from government leaders, past and present.
We want the site to help you, the Administration, and the entire Federal government be successful at better serving the American people.
We welcome your feedback about the site, what you like and don't like, and who you would like to hear from and on what topics. Please use the email feature at the bottom of the President's Team page to let us know what you think about Results.Gov.
Thank you,
Clay Johnson, Deputy Director of OMB for Management
articles 2/2 -- p.m. edition
CNN Controversy
Post #1, #2, #3 - Hugh Hewitt
Another Example Of Eason's Fables - Captain's Quarter
Blogstorm Descending on CNN - by Rebecca MacKinnon
Speculation and Cynicism and Journalism - by Jeff Jarvis
Eason Jordan clarifies comments - Forum Blog
Official Statement of CNN regarding Eason Jordan - Roger L. Simon
Eason Jordan blog posts -- Technorati search
SOTU Reaction
Powerlineblog.com
Captain's Quarter
Patrick Ruffini -- "People forget that this is still the MBA President, who has a voracious appetite for smart measures that make government more efficient and market based, and zeroing out programs that don't meet these benchmarks if necessary. More on this well-kept secret here."
Vodkapundit
Andrew Sullivan -- "That Iraqi woman in the balcony brings a lump to my throat. I've thrown much criticism the way of this president because of missteps in the occupation. But it remains true and undeniable that without him, Saddam's tyranny would still be in place, terror would still have the initiative, and hope would be dim. His obstinacy is better described in this context as alloyed with something more profound: steadfastness. This president deserves the applause. And his insistence on no artificial time-table is exactly right. No surrender."
Hugh Hewitt
AP - Democrats hope State of Union will give them momentum
DNC - The Real State of the Union: 2005
Democrat Response - Sen. Reid (D-NV), Rep. Pelosi (D-CA)
David Frum - "Bold, bold, bold – bold on social security reform, bold on controlling the growth of government, bold on legal and tax reform, bold in daring to mention nuclear energy, bold on social issues including marriage, bold on judges, and bold on foreign policy and the war on terror."
Andrew Sullivan -- Sen. Reid
The Corner -- Sen. Reid
Bush SOTU blog posts - Technorati search
W. Post
Sunnis to Work With Leaders
Despite calling Iraq election invalid, clerics say they respect voters' choices.
Iraq 2005: Vietnam 1967 or America 1864?
by Noel Sheppard
Al-Jazeera Should Be Put Out of Business
by William F. Buckley
Bayh's No Vote On Rice Sure Seems Like Nod to '08
by Andrea Neal
Knight-Ridder
Dean likely to become Democratic Party chairman
Men's News Daily
Welcome to the Deaniac’s National Committee
The Conservative Voice
Dean Leads Democrats to Further Mayhem
Wired.com
Hide Your IPod, Here Comes Bill
Apple's music player apparently is wildly popular on Microsoft's campus. Thousands of Microsofties own the devices, to the great irritation of management.
Wired.com
Software Taming Gene Data Pool
After years of hype, gene-expression research finally starts to pay off. The discoveries come thanks to a new niche of software tools that give scientists easy access to huge piles of data generated by genetic research.
Bush's 2005 State of the Union
Bush's 2005 Inaugural Speech
Bush's 2004 State of the Union
Bush's 2003 State of the Union
Bush's 2002 State of the Union
Bush's 2001 Address to Congress
Bush's 2001 Inaugural Speech
Post #1, #2, #3 - Hugh Hewitt
Another Example Of Eason's Fables - Captain's Quarter
Blogstorm Descending on CNN - by Rebecca MacKinnon
Speculation and Cynicism and Journalism - by Jeff Jarvis
Eason Jordan clarifies comments - Forum Blog
Official Statement of CNN regarding Eason Jordan - Roger L. Simon
Eason Jordan blog posts -- Technorati search
SOTU Reaction
Powerlineblog.com
Captain's Quarter
Patrick Ruffini -- "People forget that this is still the MBA President, who has a voracious appetite for smart measures that make government more efficient and market based, and zeroing out programs that don't meet these benchmarks if necessary. More on this well-kept secret here."
Vodkapundit
Andrew Sullivan -- "That Iraqi woman in the balcony brings a lump to my throat. I've thrown much criticism the way of this president because of missteps in the occupation. But it remains true and undeniable that without him, Saddam's tyranny would still be in place, terror would still have the initiative, and hope would be dim. His obstinacy is better described in this context as alloyed with something more profound: steadfastness. This president deserves the applause. And his insistence on no artificial time-table is exactly right. No surrender."
Hugh Hewitt
AP - Democrats hope State of Union will give them momentum
DNC - The Real State of the Union: 2005
Democrat Response - Sen. Reid (D-NV), Rep. Pelosi (D-CA)
David Frum - "Bold, bold, bold – bold on social security reform, bold on controlling the growth of government, bold on legal and tax reform, bold in daring to mention nuclear energy, bold on social issues including marriage, bold on judges, and bold on foreign policy and the war on terror."
Andrew Sullivan -- Sen. Reid
The Corner -- Sen. Reid
Bush SOTU blog posts - Technorati search
W. Post
Sunnis to Work With Leaders
Despite calling Iraq election invalid, clerics say they respect voters' choices.
Iraq 2005: Vietnam 1967 or America 1864?
by Noel Sheppard
Al-Jazeera Should Be Put Out of Business
by William F. Buckley
Bayh's No Vote On Rice Sure Seems Like Nod to '08
by Andrea Neal
Knight-Ridder
Dean likely to become Democratic Party chairman
Men's News Daily
Welcome to the Deaniac’s National Committee
The Conservative Voice
Dean Leads Democrats to Further Mayhem
Wired.com
Hide Your IPod, Here Comes Bill
Apple's music player apparently is wildly popular on Microsoft's campus. Thousands of Microsofties own the devices, to the great irritation of management.
Wired.com
Software Taming Gene Data Pool
After years of hype, gene-expression research finally starts to pay off. The discoveries come thanks to a new niche of software tools that give scientists easy access to huge piles of data generated by genetic research.
Bush's 2005 State of the Union
Bush's 2005 Inaugural Speech
Bush's 2004 State of the Union
Bush's 2003 State of the Union
Bush's 2002 State of the Union
Bush's 2001 Address to Congress
Bush's 2001 Inaugural Speech
Bush's State of the Union transcript
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.
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.
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
 | |
|
|
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.
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