Kasparov Leads the Free World against Putin

Melanie Kirkpatrick at the Wall Street Journal has a great write-up of her interview with chess master Garry Kasparov. Mr Kasparov is building and leading an alliance to select a candidate to restore democratic freedoms by replacing Putin.

What advice does he have for George W. Bush about helping Russian democracy today? "Stay neutral," comes the swift reply. The "worst thing" that happened to the democracy movement, he says, was the inclusion of Russia in the Group of 7 democracies, now the G-8, a designation he can't bring himself to utter. Now, Washington should take that position that "there must be an election under the Russian constitution. Putin must go, and elections should be held. Period. That's enough. There's no double standard. Obey the Constitution. That's it."

Karl's Weekend Reading

It is refreshing to find clarifying and grounded remarks like these after a spike in the Democratic Noise Machine, such as their pre/post State of the Union blather.

Wall Street Journal - Senators-in-Chief: Congress has no Constitutional power to micromanage a war.

If they were serious and had the courage of their convictions, they'd attempt to cut off funds for the Iraq effort. But that would mean they would have to take responsibility for what happens next. By passing "non-binding resolutions," they can assail Mr. Bush and put all of the burden of success or failure on his shoulders.

In addition to being feckless, all of this is unconstitutional. As Commander-in-Chief, the President has the sole Constitutional authority to manage the war effort. Congress has two explicit war powers: It has the power to declare war, which in the case of Iraq it essentially did with its resolution of 2003. It also has the power to appropriate funds.

Daniel Henninger's Talking Ourselves Into Defeat

Ann Coulter continues to set the standard with: I am woman, hear me bore

According to the famed "polls" -- or, as I call them, "surveys of uninformed people who think it's possible to get the answer wrong" -- Hillary is the current front-runner for the Democrats. Other than the massive case of narcolepsy her name inspires, this would cause me not the slightest distress -- except for the fact that the Republicans' current front-runners are John McCain and Rudy Giuliani.

James Taranto was on fire Thursday in his Best of the Web column.

Two Papers in One!

"Neither broken promises nor failed policies changed Mr. Bush's mind. So the nation has been saddled with tax cuts that have turned a budget surplus into a big deficit."--editorial, New York Times, Jan. 24

"The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicted on Wednesday that the federal budget deficit would shrink again this year. . . . The agency predicted that the deficit for 2007 would decline to about $200 billion. It would be the third big annual decline in a row. . . . The decline of the deficit comes on the heels of unexpectedly large increases in tax revenue over the last two years."--news story, New York Times, Jan. 25

Wednesday Night Cigar

Karl smoked a Helix Wednesday night to celebrate his avoidance of the State of the Union speech the night before. Don't get him wrong - he is one of the loyal 35% of Bush supporters. But, it was no secret the Bush criticisms were going to precede and follow the speech. Another night of "global warming", "gas prices", and other bleating from the no-agenda tax-increasing, white-flag crowd was going to crimp future cigar outings. Karl, instead, turned to the Wall Street Journal Editorial page for a quick, objective post-speech summary. Thanks WSJ!

Karl is finishing The President, the Pope, and the Prime Minister, By John O'Sullivan. This is definately going on the Ushanka.us bookshelf. A great summary of the major events of the 80's with a well supported thesis that Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul II and Margaret Thatcher independently and jointly brought the end of the Soviet Union.

The theory was once overheard that the reason for the Democrats' agenda of personal destruction is a distraction to the fact that conservative values and leadership won the Cold War. Agree?

Jawa Report Job Report - Journalism vs. Other Opportunities

Quoting a South Hamilton Institute of Technology poll that lists five jobs more respectable than journalism.

White Flag Spotting

Another white flag found in the cartoon gallery at Townhall.

4847 Days Late

Nice to see the AC-130 flying over Somalia...finally.

Remind us. Was it a Republican or Democrat that refused AC-130 support to US troops in 1993?

Karl's Prediction - Rice to VP

I predict Friday's re-shuffle of Bush's Iraq team is a predecessor to another re-shuffle.

Shuffle #1: Negroponte moves to #2 at State.

Shuffle #2: Cheney resigns. Rice to VP.

Rationale:

• Regretfully, Cheney won't run in '08.
• Conventional wisdom has been that if he were to resign, it would be after the mid-term elections.
• Negroponte is better than #2 material.
• The current field of likely Republican candidates is, shall we say, lacking.
• The Bush Doctrine must continue.
• Rice is loyal to Bush and his strategy.
• Bush is loyal to Rice.
• Rice is qualified and capable, and would DESTROY any candidate the other side can offer.
• And last, Bush has a habit of making lemonade out of lemons, and there are a lot of new lemons on capitol hill.

Wishful thinking from a guy in pajamas and a ushanka? Or brilliant, insightful and objective analysis?

Suggested MSM Headlines in the event Shuffle #2 occurs:

• Democrats Outraged at Sneaky VP Shuffle
• Experts: Rice Not Tested at VP-Level Responsibilities
• Hillary Welcomes Rice to the 2008 Campaign
• Obama's Prior Drug Use Not An Issue Against Rice in '08 - Analysts
• W. VA Senator Offers Rice 1/5 of His Confirmation Vote
• Poll: Rice Reputation Associated with Failures in Iraq
• Reid: "No Free Pass in the Senate Confirmation Hearings"
• Americans Divided with Prospect of a Black President
• Dean Questions the 'Rush' to Confirm Rice
• San Francisco Speaker Says Rice "Too Extreme"

Karl's Weekend Reading

Not too much this week, unless you want to hear about how a country just liberated from years of murder and oppression got a bit rowdy with a recent execution. In other news...

Our President fires a shot across the Pelosi Bow: "What the Congress Can Do For America"

The Wall Street Journal's Bret Stephens writes an excellent, and quite fair, critique of the Bush Administration in 2006: "Why Were 'Not Winning'"

Victor Davis Hanson reviews historical precedent with the success, or lack thereof, of troop increases in previous conflicts in "Stasis or Victory", with a strong recommendation:

So, yes, send more troops to Iraq — but only if they are going to be allowed to hunt down and kill vicious and sectarians in a manner that they have not been allowed to previously.

Wizbang posts a solid collection of news reports and blog entries on the possible attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Suggested MSM Headlines for the New Year

Looking Back: Bush Kept US Safe in 2006 Despite Democrats
ISG Ignored, US to Win War
Experts: Osama Likely Suffering Vitamin D Deficiency in Cave
Saddam is One Inch Taller, Despite US Liberals
Rush to War and Execution Working for US

Happy New Year - Karl