Category: Uncategorized

Well, well–look what Kim Jong Il has been buying, and you can bet it isn’t food: North Korea has . . . increased its field artillery by about 1,000 pieces over the last four years. With systems growing obsolete, the North has reduced the number of fighter jets and submarines, but its reserve strength has increased by 220,000 men from 7.48 million four years ago to 7.70 million. The white paper also estimates that Pyongyang has built one or two...

This certainly seems optimistic, though: The white paper also reveals how U.S. reinforcements would be deployed in the event of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula. It says more than 70 percent of the U.S. Marine Corps, 50 percent of its Air Force and 40 percent of its Navy would be sent to Korea in a crisis. In a war, U.S. strength would total about 690,000 men, 160 warships and 2,000 aircraft. Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure they would. That is, unless Rummy, the...

This certainly seems optimistic, though: The white paper also reveals how U.S. reinforcements would be deployed in the event of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula. It says more than 70 percent of the U.S. Marine Corps, 50 percent of its Air Force and 40 percent of its Navy would be sent to Korea in a crisis. In a war, U.S. strength would total about 690,000 men, 160 warships and 2,000 aircraft. Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure they would. That is, unless Rummy, the...

The media are calling the Iraqi elections for Shiite parties they claim have close ties to Iran. Were it not for the fact that the impeccably honest John Burns is one of those journos, I’d dismiss it as the media’s best effort to find a dark side. The results are not even in yet, and I have seen reports elsewhere that suggest that the plurality party (no party appears headed for an outright majority) has a strong secular component. In...

You know that you’re becoming a defenseless society when your hard-core trained killers evoke gasps from the New York Times over comments like this one. Isn’t this what we’re paying these guys for? Frankly, when it comes to shooting the people who did (and yes, these links are extremely graphic, because that’s what we’re facing) this, this, this, and this, I heartily echo his sentiments. I’m glad this Marine has dedicated himself to shooting these people, because you can be...

Hmmm. Are psychotics easier to interrogate? As I understand it, the most important function of law is to protect the peace, security, and order of society from crime and violence. When it becomes a more effective tool at doing exactly the opposite of that, it’s time to talk about changing the law.

You know that you’re becoming a defenseless society when your hard-core trained killers evoke gasps from the New York Times over comments like this one. Isn’t this what we’re paying these guys for? Frankly, when it comes to shooting the people who did (and yes, these links are extremely graphic, because that’s what we’re facing) this, this, this, and this, I heartily echo his sentiments. I’m glad this Marine has dedicated himself to shooting these people, because you can be...

North Korea threatens U.S. installations: North Korea will turn U.S. military bases in the region into a “sea of fire” if war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula, North Korean media on Friday quoted a communist officer as saying. The North’s state-run news media highlighted the comment hours after South Korea released a new defense policy paper that revealed a U.S. reinforcement plan to dispatch 690,000 troops and 2,000 warplanes if war breaks out in Korea. If you actually visit...

Hmmm. Are psychotics easier to interrogate? As I understand it, the most important function of law is to protect the peace, security, and order of society from crime and violence. When it becomes a more effective tool at doing exactly the opposite of that, it’s time to talk about changing the law.

Hmmm. Are psychotics easier to interrogate? As I understand it, the most important function of law is to protect the peace, security, and order of society from crime and violence. When it becomes a more effective tool at doing exactly the opposite of that, it’s time to talk about changing the law.

North Korea threatens U.S. installations: North Korea will turn U.S. military bases in the region into a “sea of fire” if war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula, North Korean media on Friday quoted a communist officer as saying. The North’s state-run news media highlighted the comment hours after South Korea released a new defense policy paper that revealed a U.S. reinforcement plan to dispatch 690,000 troops and 2,000 warplanes if war breaks out in Korea. If you actually visit...

Max Boot, Writing about G.W. Bush: Much can still go wrong in the broader Middle East. Indeed, much has gone wrong already. There is no doubt that Bush has made plenty of mistakes. The mistake he has not made, however, is the most important of all: He has not lost his nerve. History shows that a mighty nation can recover from wartime miscalculations . . . as long as it possesses a leader who never acknowledges that he is beaten....

SOTU IV: I also liked the hat tips to more DNA testing and special training for defense lawyers who try capital cases. Fact is, some lawyers are much, much more experienced/ intelligent / aggressive / concerned for the welfare of their clients than others. When the state puts a person’s life is at stake, it owes the accused more than the minimum requirement. Indeed, I wonder if “beyond a reasonable doubt” is high enough. The military just dramatically expanded the...

SOTU III: Oh yeah. Remember when Jon Stewart played a piece of Bush’s inauguration speech–the part where he offered democratic reformers our support–at which point Stewart added words to the effect of, “offernotvalidinSaudiArabiaEgyptorPakistan”? It was funny, but Bush answered that last night. Jon Stewart would probably agree that it’s hardly the time to be screwing about with things in Pakistan, but give him 2/3 credit for going after Egypt and the Saudis. Nice. There didn’t seem to be any retreat...

SOTU, P.S. Watching Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi was like being alone in a full body cast . . . with the TV showing city council meetings on public access. Ewwwww. Could they have been more lame? Lamelamelamelame. You could have picked Barack Obama, Harold Ford, Evan Bayh, Joe Lieberman, Ken Salazar, I mean, criminy . . . with all the appealing, talented folks in the Democratic Party, couldn’t you have done better than a farbissoner and a nebbish?

On Regime Change: Someone else gets it, this time in the context of Iran.

Libya Uranium Update: A very long update on the story, plus my analysis, here.

Max Boot, Writing about G.W. Bush: Much can still go wrong in the broader Middle East. Indeed, much has gone wrong already. There is no doubt that Bush has made plenty of mistakes. The mistake he has not made, however, is the most important of all: He has not lost his nerve. History shows that a mighty nation can recover from wartime miscalculations . . . as long as it possesses a leader who never acknowledges that he is beaten....