Post-Vaca Wrap-Up

It's been a while, but I'm back and have a few things on my mind.

On the flight back to the states, I finished reading American Soldier by Gen. Tommy Franks. I don't read too many military books, but it was well worth the change in topics. My current literary endeavors are Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden and The Neo-Con Reader by Irwin Stelzer.

There is growing controversy over ABC's docudrama The Path to 9/11. Al Gore is "deeply concerned" about the network's plan to air, Former President Bill Clinton is calling the movie "indisputably wrong," and other Democrats are calling for an edit of the film or outright pull from showtime. Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 9/11 was not only championed by the Left, but the filmmaker/writer was invited to speak at Sen. John Kerry's 2004 Democratic National Convention. Why the outrage over a silly ABC flick, but an embrace of Moore's proclaimed "documentary"? (The party also claims the Administration is "playing politics" when the White House brags about successes in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the War on Terror.)

On Larry King Live, talkshow host and comedian Bill Maher explained that "we [and the world] are not better off" with Saddam gone. Not only that, "Saddam was a bullwork against terrorism" and he's not sure "whether Iraq is better without Saddam." He continues, "We're running out of things that Saddam did that we didn't - like torture...rape. About the only one left is mass graves. So in a lot of ways, we are Saddam Hussein." I used to be a big fan of Maher. In fact, one of my favorite books is When You Ride Alone, You Ride With bin Laden. However, respect for him and his views has been sliding for the last two years.

"Branjolina" have decided not to get married until "everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able." What about Warren Jeffs' "right" to marry minors or multiple partners? A friend of mine made the same vow last year, though I don't think her promise will truly be upheld. On a similar note, what's with combining celebrities' names: Branjolina, Bennifer, Tomkat, Benlo? I think it's safe to assume that the name-combos serve as inspiration by the celebs to come up with their even crazier children's names: Suri, Shilo, Apple, Phinnaeus...

DOH! Apparently, Rove, Scooter, Cheney, and Bush weren't the leakers of the super-top-secret Valerie Wilson/Plame name to Bob Novak to discredit Ambassador of Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe Joe Wilson. It was former State Department diplomat Richard Armitage who opposed the Iraq War from the beginning. I'm sure Joe Wilson will be seeking the frogmarch of Armitage too. Chris Matthews says the story is now too "complicated" to cover it in the news.

I have to say, I honestly enjoy the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. I don't know what it is, but it's not as boring as Bob Sheifer, as biased as Dan Rather, and the "free Speech" segment is enjoyable. It also beats the hell out of listening to Lou Dobbs yammer on and ask pointed questions.

Reading Assignments:
Larry Elder - More On Chickenhawks
Walter E. Williams - Thank You For Discriminating