Vladimir Putin's Russia

Peter Baker and Susan B. Glasser have an interesting article in today's in today's Washington Post about Putin's path to power, taken from their new book, Kremlin Rising. It seems pretty accurate.

This quote, for example, rings true: "'The Russian people,' Putin's chief of staff, Alexander Voloshin, regularly told colleagues behind closed doors, 'are not ready for democracy.'"

Kerry Dumber Than Bush

At least according to a Boston Globe report of his 71 average at Yale. Bush had a 76 average.

Fantastic!

Laurence Leamer has a new book out, a biography of Arnold Schwarznegger. I met him a million years ago, and based on what I know about him--and the fact that he's apparently been banned by the Today Show on NBC--think this new book may have some juicy tidbits of the Kitty Kelley sort...

Roger L. Simon v. Amnesty International

After its latest report on the American "gulag," Roger L. Simon says the international human rights NGO is, "in Orwell's evocative phrase,'objectively pro-fascist.'"

Aero Memories

OpinionJournal has a nice article today about Santa Monica's Aero Theatre, where I used to watch movies when I lived on the West Coast. It's nice to read that the movie house is still in operation. We had a similar situation here in DC with the Avalon movie theatre, I signed a petition to save it. A big real-estate developer, Douglas Jemal, did exactly that--and it is back in operation as an art house run by a foundation. They did a beautiful job with the restoration of the building, too. If it can happen here in DC, without a movie industry, it can happen in Santa Monica. So, I'll repeat a slogan of the day: "Save the Aero!"

Natan Sharansky on Uzbekistan

From the May 25, 2005 issue of The Forward:

In an interview with the Israeli daily Novosti Nedeli last August, Sharansky said that terrorism threats were a reminder that Karimov's uncompromising stance against extremists was justified, according to the BBC monitoring service.

"The Uzbek government adopted such an uncompromising position because it is understood in Tashkent, in the same way as Jerusalem, that the battle against terrorism is not some sort of tribal conflict; it is a world war of the forces of democracy against international terrorism," Sharansky was quoted as saying. He added, "It goes without saying that the strengthening, development and defense of democracy in Uzbekistan are an important part of the struggle for human rights all over the world. However, it would be a mistake to believe that the democratization process could be speeded up by way of slander and defaming the courageous struggle that Uzbekistan is waging against terrorism."

Mark Steyn on President Hillary Clinton (2008)

Read the whole thing:

A Rodham Administration would lend an obvious symmetry to the last two decades of Presidential history: Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton. But just as it rapidly became clear that Bush Jr was a far more consequential figure than Bush Sr, so the pants-suited Clinton would set out to be a more consequential figure than the pantsless Clinton.

Gag me with a spoon!

That's my response to the Investigative Reporters and Editors conference tribute to Dan Rather, which Little Green Footballs found described onVariety.com.

Rather than just quietly going away, Rather is staying "in your face" after the 60 Minutes II document fraud. Anyone paying tribute to this, to say the least, isn't an honest reporter or editor -- much less an investigative one, since Rather and company for some reason didn't bother to investigate the documents to determine their authenticity before broadcasting them to the nation.

Memo to President Bush: Stop Embracing Islamists...

Says Michael Rubin, in Middle East Forum:

By embracing Islamists in Iran, President Jimmy Carter replaced one dictatorship with another. [Editor's note: Far worse than the Shah] The Bush administration's flirtation with Arab Islamists risks doing the same. Washington should push for democracy, but only work with groups willing to abide by democratic precepts.

Will Bushies heed this advice, before it is too late?

Why is Left-Wing Theatre so Lousy?

That's Terry Teachout's question in today's column on OpinionJournal - Extra. He's been to a lot of bad plays lately, by people such as Sam Shepard . . .

Marjorie Phillips' Masterwork

Today several Washington, DC museums were open for free. After seeing chef Deborah Madison cook some vegetarian croquettes at the DC Farmer's Market, I went with some friends to the Phillips Collection, where they've taken Marjorie Phillips' painting of the old Washington Senators out of storage in celebration of the return of America's favorite pastime to the Nation's Capital. The resurrection of this painting, and my personal discovery of Marjorie Phillips as an artist, is another benefit of having baseball back in town.

Now, if I could only get some tickets to a game...

"Michael Isikoff, Meet Salman Rushdie," says Daniel Pipes

Daniel Pipes makes a good case that Rumsfeld and company were wrong to blame Newsweek for the riots and killings that followed publication of Michael Isikoff's charges of Koran abuse. The villians of this story are radical Islamists who would kill over a kicked Koran--not the media, not Newsweek, and not Isikoff or his collaborator, John Barry.

The Myth of the "Lone Terrorist"

Former FBI agent Mike German writes about the swamps which breed terrorism in today's Washington Post opinion column:Behind the Lone Terrorist, a Pack Mentality:

Bringing to justice everyone directly responsible for acts of violence is important, but unmasking the full conspiracy is even more important from the standpoint of preventing terrorism. Lone extremists pose a challenge for law enforcement because they are difficult to predict. It's like searching every haystack for a needle. Perhaps we'd have better luck if we paid more attention to the needle factories. This is especially true now that militant Islamic terrorist groups like al Qaeda are adopting the model of leaderless resistance that our homegrown terrorists mastered so well.

Kanan Makiya: Iraq Troubles Stem From De-Baathification Failure

Middle East Quarterly has an interesting interview with Kanan Makiya, author of "Republic of Fear." He blames America's problems in Iraq on a policy of post-war appeasement:

Makiya: The formation of the Fallujah Brigade [in April 2004] was an essential moment in the reversal of de-Baathification. It was by common agreement today a terrible idea and a failure. Its point was to recruit and co-opt former Iraqi officers, who were even allowed to dress up in Baathist uniforms. That kind of reversal had more to do with appeasement--with the vain hope that appeasing Baathists could curb the violence. But the exact opposite, of course, is true. Whether they were for or against de-Baathification, Iraqis recognize what a disastrous policy this reversal was. I expect de-Baathification to become a central plank of the new government.

Makiya makes a lot of sense. Such appeasement policies may be one reason why aggression against the US has increased, rather than diminished, since 9/11...

Close Guantanamo Now

This latest news story,U.S. Confirms Gitmo Soldier Kicked Quran , is reason enough to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay and find a better way to deal with suspected terrorists. While some may argue that such things happen in every war, that the British had a similar setup at the notorious Maze prison where IRA members were held, that some of those who criticize the US have done worse, the Guantanamo stories are not only a shame and an embarrassment to the US, they serve to undermine the administration's own efforts to be acting in the interests of democracy. Curiously, it is pretty clear from the response to the Amnesty International report that Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld just don't "get it." From a practical--as well as moral-- standpoint, Guantanamo should be closed, and the prisoners receive judicial review to determine their guilt or innocence.

The Living Poem to Capitalism

Radley Balko's hymn to Wegman's, which just opened near Dulles Airport, is worth readinghere:

This supersized souk (it's twice the size of most large grocery stores) has its competitors worried. And rightly so. In its first year of operation, Wegmans' first D.C.-area store did more business than the six area Harris-Teeter stores combined. Forbes wrote in 2003 that in an era when traditional grocers are being devoured by Wal-Mart, Wegmans isn't merely surviving, it's thriving. The grocery industry has lost 13,500 stores since 1992, Forbes points out, yet Wegmans continues to open new ones. That has the D.C.-area's traditional grocers worried. And so they're looking to government to keep their competitor at arm's length -- or at least across the river in Virginia.

The Gazette article reports that Marylanders are 'begging' for a Wegmans. Both the company and the Montgomery County council have gotten numerous letters pining for one. Unfortunately, their government isn't serving them. Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan has introduced legislation making it more difficult for 'big box' stores like Wegmans (along with Target and Wal-Mart) to set up shop in the area. Duncan cites concerns about 'smart growth' policies, environmental concerns, and traffic as reasons for his proposal. The latter is rather peculiar. The philosophy behind big box stores is that they offer lots of things in one place, saving time, hassle and -- one would think -- gas and traffic congestion.

Nevertheless, when the progressive (read: big government) county council held hearings last summer on the new proposal, representatives from the two stalwart grocers in the area -- Giant and Safeway -- asked for tougher zoning laws, almost specifically tailored to the goal of keeping a Wegmans from opening in the county. Both cited congestion and infrastructure issues, but both also rather bluntly conceded that they were also worried about the competition. They were more than okay with using regulation to step on a competitor.

Maybe DC can invite a Wegman's into Anacostia to speed redevelopment? I'd drive there in a jiffy...

America's Choice

Thanks to Little Green Footballs for this link toVictor Davis Hanson's latest:

Where will it all end? Our choices are threefold.

We can wind down -- essentially the position of the mainstream Left -- and return to a pre-September 11 situation, treating Islamism as a criminal justice matter or deserving of an occasional cruise missile. This, in my view, would be a disaster and guarantee another mass attack.

Or we can continue to pacify Iraq. We then wait and see whether the ripples from the January elections-- without further overt American military action into other countries -- bring democracy to Lebanon, Egypt, the Gulf States, and eventually the entire Middle East. This is the apparent present policy of the administration: talking up democracy, not provoking any who might disagree. It may well work, though such patience requires constant articulation to the American people that we are really in a deadly war when it doesn't seem to everyone that we are.

Or we can press on. We apprise Syria to cease all sanctuary for al Qaedists and Iran to give up its nuclear program -- or face surgical and punitive American air strikes. Such escalation is embraced by few, although many acknowledge that we may soon have few choices other than just that. But for now we can sum up the American plans as hoping that democracy spreads faster than Islamism, and thus responsible government will appear to ensure terrorists and WMD disappear.

The above, of course, is what we plan, but gives no consideration to the intent of the enemy. As we speak, he desperately searches for new strategies to ward off defeat as jihad seems more likely to lead to ruin than the return of the caliphate.

For now Islamic fascist strategy is to make such horrific news in Iraq that America throws up its hands and sighs, "These crazy people simply aren't worth it," goes home, snoozes -- and thus becomes ripe for another September 11.

Starbucks in Moscow

It's about time. The first Russian Starbucks has opened in Moscow's Renaissance Hotel. Commerce secretary Andrew Somers was there, and told the assembled latte-lovers: "You are doing a lot more than opening a coffee shop. You are spreading values, and we are really proud of that."

My personal values include a skinny venti ice mocha--with whip...

From Olle Wastberg's Lips to the Nobel Prize Committees Ears...

In today's New York Times the former Swedish Consul General nominates former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for the Nobel Peace Prize. One reason is that Rudy saved some 10,000 lives:

Or, in more human terms, it would appear that over the last 12 years the policies Mr. Giuliani put in place have spared New York perhaps 10,000 murders, 15,000 rapes and 800,000 robberies. This is clearly a humanitarian accomplishment of great magnitude.

Unlike my April 1st nomination of George W. Bush, this is not an April Fool's joke. I'm a native New Yorker who didn't believe the city could be saved--until Rudy Giuliani turned it around! I had the privilege of meeting Hizzoner at a Gracie Mansion reception for a UN photo exhibit dedicated to diplomats who saved Jews from Nazis during WWII (one of them, Aristides de Sousa Mendes, saved my mother's family), by granting visas, often against the policies of their own governments. It was at the same time of the Elian Gonzales showdown in Miami, and Hilary Clinton, who had been invited, did not attend, perhaps because she was deporting the child refugee back to Castro's tender bosom at the point of a semi-automatic weapon. In any case Giuliani quoted Winston Chuchill about there being a special place in hell reserved for those who see evil and do nothing about it. Then he shook hands with everyone in the room who wanted to. I rushed up. He had the warmest handshake that I ever felt, and I was almost overcome. This was before 9/11--when he showed such heroism at the World Trade Center.

Like Olle Wastberg, whose fellow Swede Raoul Wallenberg was honored the same day I met Hizzoner, I want Giuliani to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Dutch Against EU Constitution, Too...

The Financial Times poll shows Dutch to join French in rejecting EU treaty. Remember, it's the constitution that they are rejecting, not the free-trade zone...