Christopher Hitchens on Edward Kennedy
Christopher Hitchens is an iconoclast's iconoclast, famously willing to piss on anyone's grave, whether it be Mother Tereasa, Bob Hope, or Teddy Kennedy. Interestingly, this time he smacks down with one hand whilst patting on the back with the other: Sure, the "tragedy" of Chappaquiddick had its necessary moment, but even in those days Barbara Walters was doing her damage control, ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on August 31, 2009 15:09
Mmmm, C-Rats
They just don't make pound cake like they used to: [caption id="attachment_39955" align="alignright" width="350" caption="Col. Henry A. Moak Jr. digs in to an Army ration pound cake from 1973 at his retirement party. (Staff Sgt. Sun Vega/U.S. Army)"][/caption] Forty years later, Henry A. Moak, Jr., still loves his pound cake. The Army colonel popped open an old military 'C' Ration can of ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 27, 2009 12:47
Medal of Honor a Posthumous Award Only?
The Conservative Wahoo makes an interesting point: "Are There No Live People Worthy of the Medal of Honor?" News yesterday of the upcoming posthumous award of the Medal of Honor to SFC Jared Monti, USA for conspicuous gallantry in Afghanistan. I am humbled and awed any time I read of the bravery and selflessness of those who earn this most ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 24, 2009 08:21
Walter Cronkite Dead at 92
Walter Cronkite has passed: Walter Cronkite, the premier TV anchorman of the networks' golden age who reported a tumultuous time with reassuring authority and came to be called "the most trusted man in America," died Friday. He was 92. Cronkite's longtime chief of staff, Marlene Adler, said Cronkite died at 7:42 p.m. at his Manhattan home surrounded by family. She said ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 17, 2009 22:02
Vietnam Not Winnable
Gary Farber continues his look at the latest document release from President Nixon's archives and finds corroboration for his long held belief that Nixon and Henry Kissinger believed the war in Vietnam was unwinnable and "simply wanted to punt the issue until after the 1972 elections, after which they expected South Vietnam to collapse." And, of course, we learned not ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 6, 2009 15:58
Memorial Day – Canuck Edition
Richard Florida passes along this snippet from The illustrated History of Canada: American draft dodgers in Canada were far outnumbered by the young Canadians who joined U.S. forces to fight in Vietnam. This factoid may be in that category Stephen Colbert would call "truthy" and Dan Rather would call "false but true." Canada did not participate in the Vietnam War for a ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on May 25, 2009 07:19
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
Tea Bagging Requires a Dick Armey
Several bloggers are pointing to MSNBC's David Shuster's quip that "[I]f you are planning simultaneous tea bagging all around the country, you’re going to need a Dick Armey." This is amusing on a number of levels. First, it's a very good line. Second, the Left is applauding Left-leaning MSNBC for going after Right-leaning FOX for its touting of these tea parties. Yet, it's ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on April 15, 2009 07:41
Taliban Claim Responsibility for Binghamton Shootings
On Tuesday, Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud responded to a $5 million reward for his arrest by threatening terrorist attacks in America. "You can't imagine how we could avenge this threat inside Washington, inside the White House," Reuters quoted him as saying. Today, he's claiming responsibility for yesterday's shooting spree in Binghamton, New York. The diminutive Mehsud is considered the prime ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on April 4, 2009 06:19
Bill Moyers Gay Hypocrisy Scandal
I've followed the discussion about the Bill Moyers "scandal" (see, for example, today's (WSJ piece "Bill Moyers's Name Is Linked to J. Edgar Hoover's Abuse of Office") out of the corner of my eye for the last couple of days and am having trouble seeing what the big deal is. Basically, as I understand it: Back in 1964, then-30-year-old Moyers was ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on February 22, 2009 08:17
Troubled Times? Compared to What?
In response to my comment about Barack Obama taking office during "troubled times," Charles Austin retorts: Not to diminish or belittle the very real problems for folks who find themselves on the wrong side of the various bubbles out there, but if these are troubled times, then we really do have it pretty good. Has everyone forgotten the late sixties ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on December 17, 2008 15:13
Military Service Demographics
Danielle Allen takes to the editorial pages of WaPo to decry the regional disparity of military service in a piece titled "Red-State Army?" [caption id="attachment_28761" align="alignright" width="274" caption="Veterans Day in Maysville, Ky. Photo Credit: By Terry Prather -- Associated Press"][/caption] Whereas in 1969 13 percent of Americans were veterans, in 2007 only 8 percent of us were. Even more important than these general ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on December 15, 2008 14:12
Shinseki to Head Veterans Affairs
In a surprise move, General Eric Shinseki has been tapped as Barack Obama's Secretary of Veterans Affairs. [caption id="attachment_28397" align="alignright" width="257" caption="Gen. Eric K. Shinseki disputed the administration's strategy of invading Iraq with a relatively small force. He retired shortly after Baghdad fell in 2003. (By Charles Dharapak -- Associated Press) "][/caption] Shinseki, a four-star general and 38-year veteran who retired shortly ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on December 7, 2008 08:23
Jefferson Defeated by 1st Vietnamese Congressman
William "The Freezer" Jefferson, who has been under federal indictment for three years, narrowly lost a hurricane-delayed election yesterday to Republican Anh "Joseph" Cao. Nine-term Democratic Rep. William Jefferson, who has been battling scandals and a federal indictment for the past three years, lost his bid for re-election on Saturday. Republican challenger Anh "Joseph" Cao, an attorney and community organizer, defeated ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on December 7, 2008 08:06
McCain POW Footage Released
The French National Archive has released video footage of John McCain being interviewed as a Vietnam POW. The Sky News report opens rather amusingly: The video portrays the Republican as a hero but the message may be tarnished as he is filmed smoking a cigarette. I suspect he'll be forgiven. He also describes being shot down over Hanoi in 1967, and parachuting into ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on October 23, 2008 06:48
