SUDDENLY IRAN IS DANGEROUS

So .. Ted Koppel produced a television special telling us how dangerous Iran is!  Ted's not along here.  Open the pages of almost any newspaper or news magazine and you'll see stories of the grave threat being posed by Iran.

Let me see if I get this straight.  Iran is a threat.  A grave threat.  Iraq was not. 

Let's look at the scorecard.  A partial scorecard, to be sure .. but we can at least touch the surface here and try to gain some understanding.

Nuclear capabilities.  Iraq was developing nuclear capabilities long before Iran.  Thankfully, Israel set them back a bit.

Nuclear weapons.  Iran says they aren't developing these weapons.  We now know that Iraq was.

Use of WMDs.  Iraq has used them.  There is no evidence that Iran has.

Invading sovereign nations.  Iraq has.  Iran hasn't.

Mad Leaders.  Iran and Iraq can claim this. 

OK .. I just guess that I find it a bit odd that right after the Democrats take control of the Congress we're hearing so much about how much of a threat to peace Iran presents.  Oh .. don't get me wrong.  I agree!  Iran must be dealt with ... but when you look at the scorecard, can't it be said that Iraq needed to be dealt with also?

So .. what was our big mistake in Iraq?  Removing Saddam Hussein, or daring to try to provide to the people of Iraq a democratically elected government that would protect their freedoms instead of murdering them?

CHARLIE RANGEL'S DRAFT PITCH

Incoming House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (elections do have consequences, don't they?) was back on TV this weekend pushing the reinstatement of the draft.  Why the draft?  Because he says we don't have enough troops in Iraq and we don't have enough troops in the military.  So Rangel supports the draft. 

Now Rangel served in the Korean War, so he has earned his right to support the idea.  But there is much more at work here.  Rangel knows that when he mentions the 'D-word' that the hysterical media will jump all over it...and drive President Bush and the Republicans poll numbers down even further.  Rangel knows that there will never be another draft.  Short of an invasion of the United States...and we already have that today from Mexico...it just ain't gonna happen.

There's another motivation behind Rangel's draft bill.  He doesn't like the look of the all-volunteer army we have in place right now.  Not enough kids from rich, white families.  The use of government force can change that.

This is all part of a calculated plan on the part of the Left to drive up such dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq that people start demanding that we cut and run.  It might even serve the Democrat goal of weakening support for our military.   It's the Vietnam template in action...history does indeed repeat itself, doesn't it?

IMPEACHED DEMOCRAT TO LEAD COMMITTEE

National Review's Byron York has exposed an interesting dilemma facing  the new Congress. Alcee Hastings, the former impeached and convicted judge and now House member, is in line to head the Intelligence Committee.  But the entire Democratic leadership voted to impeach Hastings in 1988.  Will they stand in his way now?  It turns out Alcee Hastings was only the 10th judge to ever be impeached.  A short list and a dubious honor.

So where did Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi stand on this?  She voted to impeach 'ole Alcee.  Steny Hoyer...incoming House Majority Leader?  Also voted to impeach.  Even Mr. Draft himself....Charlie Rangel voted to impeach Hastings.  In fact, up and down the line, everybody in the House at the time (except 3 people) voted to send Alcee Hastings up the river.  So what now?

Will the new House leadership do the right thing and strip Hastings of his committee chairmanship based on his past transgressions?  Will Nancy Pelosi...who blasted the Republicans' "culture of corruption" ask Hastings to step aside?  Don't bet on it.  Because when it comes to the Left, what's good for the goose often isn't good for the gander.

Oh..and isn't just a bit ironic that a guy like Alcee Hastings is chairing the Intelligence Committee?  That's not very intelligent, is it?

TONY BLAIR IN HOT WATER

Outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair got into some trouble over the weekend for agreeing with an interviewer's assessment that Iraq was a disaster.  No need to sugar coat the situation, Mr. Prime Minister...Iraq is a disaster.  So there's no problem in giving Blair a pass on this one.  We invaded Iraq...it hasn't worked out the way some would have liked.  Facts are facts. Causation is another thing ... but we'll deal with that later.

But of greater concern are Blair's comments as he visits Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.  He basically has said that force alone cannot defeat terrorism....and we have to look at the grievances behind terrorists in order to defeat them.  Uh-oh...sounds a bit like the good prime minister has taken a trip to Appeasement Mart, doesn't it?

This is yet another show of weakness from the West.  Islamic jihadists look at weakness as something to be exploited .. and exploit it they will. 

This line of thinking has been in operation for 30 years.  We've been told over and over again that if the Israelis just make peace with the Palestinians, then terrorism will cease.  Israel has offered the Palestinians nearly everything they want to no avail.  The fact is the Islamic terrorists have one goal:  the takeover of the world.  Until a global theocracy is established where everyone worships Allah and all the non-believers are dead, terrorism will never cease.

So shame on Tony Blair for worrying about the "hearts and minds" of terrorists.  He should know better and he does.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

Henry Kissinger now says victory in Iraq is not possible.  However, he also says cutting and running would be an even bigger disaster...so what do we do?  According to the former Secretary of State, there are no good options in Iraq.  Lovely.

President Bush has landed in Indonesia and the media is naturally covering the protests against him and the United States.  No surprise here:  Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim nation...which means plenty of jihadists and extremists that hate us anyway.

We're currently engaged in a global struggle against terrorism, fighting two wars in two countries.  The United States Congress has just changed hands from the Republicans to the Democrats.  The president is on a tour abroad of several nations.  And what does the media see fit to cover all weekend?  Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' wedding.  Our celebrity-worshiping culture strikes again.

The next presidential election is 2 years away...but the straw polls have already started.  In Iowa, voters are picking Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney as their favorite, even ahead of John McCain.  We're likely to hear more about him in the future.

The Poodle says his gaffe earlier this year about dumb kids winding up serving in Iraq won't affect his chances in 2008 at winning the presidential nomination.  He's right...Hillary Clinton is what's going to affect his nomination chances in 2008, which are currently zero.

The Pentagon has allegedly designed a three-option plan for Iraq.  What are the options?  According to media reports, they are send in more troops, stay a lot longer or cut and run.  I doubt they're going to find any takers for any of those options.  Time to come up with a fourth.  Democratic Senator Joe Biden has his ideas for Iraq...and says we're long past the idea of sending more troops.

The United States pretty much rules the world these days, at least when it comes to global influence.  Victor Davis Hanson wonders if the West is going to stumble in its leadership role when it comes to Islamic terrorism...especially with countries like Iran trying to get their hands on a nuke.

Columnist Mark Steyn marks the occasion of the passing of Milton Friedman by wondering if things would have turned out differently for the GOP had they not strayed so far from conservative principles.  But their defeat was a long time coming, it turns out.

George Will takes a look at Mayor Michael Bloomberg's successes in New York and wonders if the billionaire might be presidential material.  It turns out he has quite a bit going for him and a good record in the Big Apple.

Defeated Senate Candidate Michael Steele is being urged by the White House to stay on the national stage.  So what can he do?  The White House won't let him run the RNC, as Robert Novak reports.
 

You've heard Herman Cain fill in for Neal Boortz. Read his latest online column. Your chance to see Herman speak at a live event in Atlanta 11/16.

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