Bill’s Excellent Adventure
I've refrained from rapid reaction to the controversy over Bill Clinton's trip to North Korea to secure the release of two American journalists because I've been torn between competing maxims. I agree with the critics who say rewarding despots who have seized American citizens is bad precedent, incentivizing illegal behavior. Yet, Bob Manning is right, too: our leaders have no ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on August 6, 2009 15:05
Torture Worked! Foiled Los Angeles Attack! Yay Torture!
After several days of inflamed public debate following official confirmation that the United States government tortured suspected terrorists under specific authorization from the Bush administration, the inevitable pushback has begun. Several reports now suggest that these extreme interrogation techniques had the desired effect, yielding valuable intelligence that saved lives. The most interesting of these, alas, comes from CNS and is headlined ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on April 22, 2009 07:42
Yet Another Blow to the FARC
Via the BBC: Farc 'co-ordinator' held in Spain Spanish police say they have arrested the representative of the left-wing Colombian rebel group Farc in Spain. Maria Remedios Garcia Albert, a Spanish national, was detained near Madrid, as part of a joint operation by the Spanish and Colombian authorities. [...] It is claimed that Ms Garcia helped co-ordinate the group's wider activities in ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 27, 2008 10:50
U.S. Stationing Diplomats in Iran
The United States has not had a formal diplomatic presence in Iran since our embassy there was stormed and its staff taken hostage on November 4, 1979. That may soon change, Ewen MacAskin reports for The Guardian. The Guardian has learned that an announcement will be made in the next month to establish a US interests section - a halfway house ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 17, 2008 12:22
Colombia Misused Red Cross Symbol in Betancourt Rescue
The daring rescue of Ingrid Betancourt from FARC terrorists misused the Red Cross symbol in violation of the Geneva Conventions. A member of the military mission that tricked Colombian rebels into freeing 15 hostages wore the insignia of the International Red Cross during the operation, President Alvaro Uribe said Wednesday. Mr. Uribe said his government had apologized to the Red Cross for ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 16, 2008 15:20
Chinese Terror Cops Get Segways
This story is a few days old now, but Noah Shachtman's post is the first I've seen it: Chinese elite anti-terror police officers are wheeling into action ahead of next month's Beijing Olympics on two-wheeled scooters. Members of the country's armed police unit practised on the Segway models that have been re-named 'Anti-Terror Assault Vehicles' in the eastern province of ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 7, 2008 11:57
Ingrid Betancourt Rescued by Colombia Army
Íngrid Betancourt Pulecio was freed yesterday in a daring rescue by the Colombian National Army after more than five years of captivity by FARC narco-terrorists. [S]he and 14 other hostages — including three U.S. military contractors held since 2003 — were airlifted to freedom in an audaciously "perfect" operation involving military spies who tricked the rebels into handing over their prize ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 3, 2008 07:25
Caption Contest Winners
The Trashman Cometh Edition OTB Caption ContestTM is now over. (AFP/Fabrice Coffrini) ✰ THE WINNERS ✰ First: FormerHostage - Noooo they be stealin' my Bucket! (It may be I've been hangin' around at ICHC too much -- rodney dill) Second: utka - Despite all odds, Hillary is still running. Third: yethanotherjohn - Its not paranoia if they really are ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 2, 2008 22:49
Rachael Ray, Donut Terrorist
Dunkin' Donuts has pulled an ad spot featuring Rachael Ray wearing a scarf around her neck because some thought it was a subtle nod of support to Palestinians. Does Dunkin’ Donuts really think its customers could mistake Rachael Ray for a terrorist sympathizer? The Canton-based company has abruptly canceled an ad in which the domestic diva wears a scarf that ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on May 28, 2008 07:51
Caption Contest Winners
The Geeser Ginsu Edition OTB Caption ContestTM is now over. (AFP/William West) ✰ THE WINNERS ✰ First: markm - TURN..dodge..parry...break a hip. Second: yetanotherjohn - Who is going to win? Depends. Third: Bithead - You should not have come, old man.... HONORABLE MENTION floyd - "let's stop for a while...I've got to take EPEE!" charles austin - Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on May 19, 2008 22:54
Caption Contest Winners
The The Dupes of Hazard Edition OTB Caption ContestTM is now over. (AP Photo/Bob Bird) ✰ THE WINNERS ✰ First: brainy435 - Well, it's faster than a handbasket. Second: FormerHostage - Oscar Meyer isn't the ONLY one with a Weiner-Mobile! Third: charles austin - Unsafe at any speed. HONORABLE MENTION Bithead - And in the back, a huge trunk, cleaverly hidden by a beige ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on May 15, 2008 19:31
Caption Contest Winners
The Star Pupils Edition OTB Caption ContestTM is now over. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Ren Yong) ✰ THE WINNERS ✰ First: floyd - Unfortunately; the third brother got sad one day and drowned! Second: Steven Taylor - Them TSA guys are sharp dressers! Third: Elmo - Mmmm .... carrots. HONORABLE MENTION Cowboy Blob - Ocular Jocularity yetanotherjohn - The Sauron party rally was sparsely attended. FormerHostage - At ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on May 12, 2008 21:30
Caption Contest Winners
The Herd Mentality Edition OTB Caption ContestTM is now over. (AFP/File) ✰ THE WINNERS ✰ First: FormerHostage - More ass than a Paris Hilton sleep-over. Second: markm - While filming for the latest episode of "Wild Kingdom", Jim Fowler obtained this amazing and rare shot of what appears to be a herd of superdelegates. Third: Gollum - Supporters mistook Obama's ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on April 28, 2008 20:26
U.S. Foreign Policy in the Post-Bush Era
Fareed Zakaria argues that John McCain's foreign policy would be bellicose whereas Barack Obama's would be conciliatiatory but, as Dave Schuler notes, both are "confrontational" and "interventionist," just with slightly different priorities. Zakaria points to a recent McCain speech: Not only does it declare war on Russia and China, it places the United States in active opposition to all nondemocracies. It proposes ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on April 28, 2008 07:52
U.S. Kills Jihadists with Stroke of Pen, Creating Violent Extremists as Byproduct
The war against Jihadists and Islamo-Fascists has been won; each and every last one of these vermin has been eradicated courtesy of the United States Government. Unfortunately, the victory is quite literally in name only. The Bush administration has launched a new front in the war on terrorism, this time targeting language. Federal agencies, including the State Department, the Department ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on April 25, 2008 15:59
