Meanwhile, Back In Waziristan

The Pakistani Army claims to be succeeding in the Swat Valley and is poised to commence major operation in South Waziristan.

Comments

[clarice]

Why am I getting flashbacks to Ernie Kovacs Nairobi Trio?

[Thomas Collins]

Perhaps, clarice, because any pronouncement coming out of the Pak government can be assumed to be to entertain the US and not necessarily to bear any relationship to reality (with apologies to Kovacs' costumes, which probably bore more relationship to reality than Pak government pronouncements).

[clarice]

Well, there's that. But if you remember another Kovacs stick was to repeatedly announce the Trio was coming and then announce they somehow had been unable to make it.

[Jack is Back!]

OT:

Lucas Glover is the new US Open champion. Lefty had the chance and blew it on 15 and 17 - although I thought his approach to 15 was terrific - where he missed par putts. Glover becomes only the 7th qualifier since 1960 to win the Open. Tiger was never a factor despite all the air time NBC and ESPN gave him. Feel good story has to be David Duval coming back to tie for 2nd. In a way its a 90's redux again with Duval on the leader board and health care the hot topic (outside of Iran).

[Ignatz]

--Why am I getting flashbacks to Ernie Kovacs Nairobi Trio?--

OMG, clarice, I forgot all about them.
Wouldn't Ernie be pilloried (or prosecuted if in Canada) for that bit of inspired lunacy these days, especially considering Obama's Kenyan pedigree?

[Neo]

They are digging pretty dig when they come up with this idea ...

Sidney Blumenthal, a top aide in the Clinton White House, may return to government work as a counselor to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

[narciso]

Phillip Agee's coeditor on "Government by GunPlay", one of the two compendium of conspiracy theories about Watergate the oh, frabjous joy. Who used the KGB's American thinktank as a metric for determining Republican political viability. WEll he was the chronicler and some would say founder of the 'permanent campaign meme'; so it all fits, in a twisted sort of way.

[clarice]

The Hill:
"The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up Valerie Plame Wilson's lawsuit against I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, effectively killing the civil suit that accused key Bush administration figures of outing Wilson as a CIA operative. Plame and her husband, former Ambassador Joe Wilson, had sued Libby, the longtime chief of staff to former Vice President Dick Cheney, for his role in leaking Plame's name "

What a surprise..Now, if they'd only force the unsealing of the indictments against Rove.

[clarice]

Publication claims that rep of Sistani is meeting with Rafsanjani and other clerics who wish to remove Khatamei and Ahmadinehad.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20090622/iran-cleric-rafsanjani-khamenei-ahmadinejad.htm>Sistani<.a>

[Hey, didn't they throw in with Hillary? Where's the Ambassadorship?]

The poor, poor Plames. No one gives them any respect any more except Scary.

[I wonder what the fool Juan Cole thinks of all this.]

Shia is a quietist sect. If they get back to their roots, they'll dump the Supreme Leader. I can't help but think that Sistani is an inspiration to the mullahs of Iran, who can see that their is a better model of governance, right next door.

[narciso]

The rise of Baathism in Iraq shifted the center of Shiism
from Najaf & Karbala to Quom. I remember that one of the last of those that followed the old school was Fadlallah, the leader of Hezbollah. I remember this from an essay from Martin Kramer, back when he worked for the Dayan institute.

[clarice]

I remember that Sistani refused to return to Iran where he was born because he so strongly disagreed with the theocratic model of governance.

[Don't mess with Meshad.]

Sistani was born in Meshad, but his family is from Isfahan, half of the world, you know.

[narciso]

An analysis of Hezbollah's rise, which leaves out Mir Hussein Moussavi's background
, by ommission as well as Chamran, who is
Bodansky's bete noire

[narciso]

This was the Kramer article I referenced, in the LUN:

[narciso]

Apparently the Scowcroft embrace of the Tienamen butchers was too subtle, in the LUN

[narciso]

Hitchen's schools Obama like one of his graduate assistants over Iran, in the LUN:

[clarice]

I thought the Hitchens article was very informative, narciso.

[centralcal]

Thanks for the tip on Hitchens N & C. Very interesting.

[narciso]

You're welcome Clarice and centralcal(1)

[glenda]

No one captures the middle eastern people better than Hitchens. He is so good at telling you what's up, it smashes that he is so wrong on the existence of God.

Thanks for linking, Narciso!

[Extraneus]

Neda took underground singing lessons.

The Iranian custom is to hold a large memorial service 40 days after a death. Would that be July 30?

[centralcal]

lol, narciso (re: the (1)). Not quite finding the use of twitter, except to read other more important tweets. Would rather gab here if I feel any need to. :)

[narciso]

That's why I felt he betrayed his beliefs when he chose to support Obama, over pique at Hillary and relying on a caricature of
Sarah, he ended up with Hillary at State,
Holbrooke on the Indian subcontinent,how's that working out for you, Hitch.

[narciso]

There maybe something to the Pakistan connection, but not for the reasons usually suggested; which Urdu poets, when did he learn Urdu, which was hindustani according to MacDonald Fraser's Flashman.

[PD]

That Michelle "service" video is also referred to in email sent out by Obama, which begins thus:

Dear Friend,

Last week, I announced United We Serve – a nationwide call to service challenging you and all Americans to volunteer this summer and be part of building a new foundation for America.

And when I say “all,” I mean everyone – young and old, from every background, all across the country. We need individuals, community organizations, corporations, foundations, and our government to be part of this effort.

Today, for the official kick off of United We Serve, members of my administration have fanned out across America to participate in service events and encourage all Americans to join them.

I find that simply offensive. I work hard, Mr. President, but you're as much as saying that the work I do is unimportant to our country and is insignificant in comparison with the work that you would choose for me to do.

New foundation, indeed. The everyday work we do already is the foundation that you apparently despise.

[clarice]

I could offer to take over her old job at the same pay and do the same kind of public service she did.
Of course, I'd need a place to stay, but then I could get Rezko to do his public service by lending me money to buy something nice in Hyde Park.
When you think about it--so many people could do good by getting me stuff just like they do for Michelle.

[Neo]

So who did they get to replace Michelle ?

[Topsecretk9]

Sorry if this is old news

The Supreme Court will not revive a lawsuit that former CIA operative Valerie Plame brought against former members of the Bush administration.

The court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from Plame and her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson.

A lower court last year threw out the lawsuit in which Plame and Wilson accused former Vice President Dick Cheney and several former high-ranking administration officials of revealing her identity to reporters in 2003.

The lawsuit named former presidential adviser Karl Rove; Cheney's former top aide, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby; and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.

[daddy]

Last week in Oakland when I was coincidentally in the same Hotel as those 1,000 Bay Area Iranian voters, I mentioned how it struck me how gorgeous the women were; beautiful skin, wonderful figures, very well dressed in tight jeans, nice shirts etc. They were exactly the face of this hauntingly beautiful martyred Neda lady. I have to think that her death is radiating like lightning through the community of Iranian voters I met last week, and certainly throughout the country.

I have a gut feeling that the Khamenei/Ahmadinijad Mullacracy has created a generation that is going to hate their guts for a very long time.

[clarice]

The video is very haunting,daddy, if you can bear to watch it.

[narciso]

Here's an interesting overview of the wholr Cuban spy phenomenon by Montaner,Clarice, who elliptically references 'penetration of the legislature' with commentary from Chris Simmons, the DIA man on the same wavelength
as me.

[clarice]

Thanks, ts sent it to me this morning and I wrote up a blog on it.

[clarice]

Was Abourezk to Cuba as Tunney was to the Russians? An agent.

[clarice]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1724508/posts

fedora is a meticulous researcher.

[Rick Ballard]

The Guardian Council's affirmation of the election results (to the applause of the Chicoms, Chavez and Ogabe) seems to indicate that the islamic tyrants' boots are still firmly planted on the face of the people. One might wonder how many are to be hanged in fulfillment of this promise:

Ebrahim Raisi, a top judicial official, confirmed Tuesday that a special court has been set up to deal with detained protesters. "Elements of riots must be dealt with to set an example. The judiciary will do that," he was quoted as saying by the state-run radio. The judiciary is controlled by Iran's ruling clerics.

It's precisely the type of "justice" to be expected from a jurist such as Sotormayor. I'm sure she is taking notes.

[Captain Hate]

Last week in Oakland when I was coincidentally in the same Hotel as those 1,000 Bay Area Iranian voters, I mentioned how it struck me how gorgeous the women were; beautiful skin, wonderful figures, very well dressed in tight jeans, nice shirts etc. They were exactly the face of this hauntingly beautiful martyred Neda lady.

I may have mentioned here before that I used to have an Iranian doctor at Kaiser (my only quarrel with Kaiser is their inability to retain doctors, although they always seem to find good replacements ::shrug shoulders::) who, on top of being drop-dead gorgeous, was also a very good doctor and had an extremely pleasant personality. Sad to say, I was cursed with good health during her employment there.

[Captain Hate]

Sidney Blumenthal, a top aide in the Clinton White House, may return to government work as a counselor to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

I saw this at AoS yesterday; what do you good people make of this? Sid is a complete worm (like the ones at the bottom of tequila bottles; and apologies to the earthworms that do beneficial services for mankind in contrast to Sid) that I wouldn't trust as far as I could throw but is he being brought in to counter the Lord of the Flyswatters and his maggot consigliere Rahm?

[Captain Hate]

Thanks for linking that Hitch article, narciso. Now I'm going to have to put My Uncle Napoleon on my read quickly list.

[clarice]

Maybe he just needs a job..his present gig at the Guardian probably doesn't pay much and Hillary can always use a pit bull she can trust.

[narciso]

His first real work, out of Brandeis, was at the Boston Phoenix, expounding on Kennedy
assasination theories, this is how he was tied to Ferstenwald and ultimately toPhillip
Agee. He leaves that last part out of the
"Clinton Wars". When he was at Esquire in the late 80s and 90s, he suggested the Gulf War was the cause of Leonard Bernstein's early demise. His hit pieces at the New Republic included an attack at Ross Perot, suggesting his jailbreak led to the hostage crisis, eight months later, And stories suggesting the George H.W, Bush was not a hero. He's tailormade for an Axelrodian slot

[Captain Hate]

Trusting Sid seems like an oxymoron but he has shown what appears to be consistent loyalty to Muffer; not that that should necessarily be considered a laudable character trait.

Apologies if this has been posted before but Camille holds the mendacious mulatto's feet to the fire on his Cairo speech (LUN).

[Parking Lot]

((that Hitch article))

He still thinks 0 is a great guy though. Go figure.

Hitch's kind of symbolizes the big picture: 0 is still getting high personal approval ratings while his job approval ratings are tanking.

It is a cult like mentality.

[peter]

Axelrodian? Interesting word. Reminds me of a word Mad Magazine was obsessed with fifty five years ago: "axolotl." I saw "axolotl" mentioned in the newspaper today, and it was the first time I had seen the word in print since I was a little kid. Seems it's a lizard capable of regenerating lost limbs, and the government has just granted $6m to study it in order to aid amputees.

[Cecil Turner]

Well, on a brighter note, it's hard to see the news coming out of Pakistan as bad. If nothing else, it appears the Pak government is finally taking some action against the safe havens in the tribal areas. And though that may not shut down either the Taliban or Al Qaeda entirely, it's depriving them of freedom of action in their most important base of power. Moreover, the likelihood of them taking over the government has always been remote . . . and now appears to've been put to rest. Might still be too early to call, but it's looking good so far.

[narciso]

It's one of Camille's weakest, I've stopped linking her, because she still didn't give
enough of a slap. You go to a country which is a fountain of Salafism, where they do torture with relish (and mustard) and you denounce America's efforts at spreading democracy

[jimmyk]

Hitch's kind of symbolizes the big picture: 0 is still getting high personal approval ratings while his job approval ratings are tanking.

The same thing happened with Clinton. For some reason 60% of the population just couldn't stop liking him no matter what he did. I wouldn't have thought, post-9/11, that Americans would put style over substance. How bad does it have to get before the scales fall from their eyes?

[Jane]

Re: Daddy's post -

I think every Persian woman I've ever met is drop dead gorgeous. They have great skin, great eyes, great hair and great bodies - and they tend to be really into fashion and glamor and stuff. I think it's an ethnic thing or something.

[Captain Hate]

It's one of Camille's weakest, I've stopped linking her, because she still didn't give enough of a slap.

Eh, it's hard for people, particularly smart people, to admit that their choice was so ill-placed. Right now she's in the "it's everybody around him's fault" which ignores that he's responsible for them being there. I'll be anxious to read what she subsequently says because she of all people will recognize the iconic value of Neda.

[Parking Lot]

((How bad does it have to get before the scales fall from their eyes?))

One thing Clinton had going for him was the Republicans keeping his spending in check and, as a result, a healthy economy. When people are hit in their pocketbooks, the scales might fall a bit faster.

[Parking Lot]

((they tend to be really into fashion and glamor and stuff. I think it's an ethnic thing or something.))

The most gorgeous woman I have ever laid eyes on was Persian. Yes she was into glamor and fashion and very feminine but it was not 'in your face' with everything hanging out if you get my drift. She also seemed totally unaware of her beauty which just added to it.

[MayBee]

I think every Persian woman I've ever met is drop dead gorgeous. They have great skin, great eyes, great hair and great bodies - and they tend to be really into fashion and glamor and stuff. I think it's an ethnic thing or something.

Yes, think of my poor boys going to school with hundreds of these girls.

[peter]

Hillary Clinton likes Persian women, too.

Oh, and that internet rumor about the Fulbright scholarship application from Occidental being proof of Obama's foreign citizenship? a false rumor according to Snopes LUN

[JM Hanes]

MayBee:

When you use the "swoosh" arrow to reply to a comment on Twitter, does that person see it somewhere too, or does it just go up on your own homepage? When Jake Tapper asked for question to pose at Obama's presser, I wanted to suggest one last night but wasn't sure whether I should have used a "Direct Message" to do it instead of the @jaketapper thingie.

Can you tell me your Twitter name again? I wish I could remember which thread everyone was using to trade monikers, 'cause I'd like to follow you guys around. I'm tweeting as Quasiblogger, but so far I've only tweeted once since I signed up last March....

[glasater]

http://howtwitterworks.com/

Is one link that I found helpful.

Maybee is:

https://twitter.com/MayBeeTweet

[MayBee]

The swoosh is indeed a reply.
You can only Direct Message someone who is following you.
I am the least interesting person in the world to follow on Twitter.

[Semanticleo]

Since y'all are puttin' each other to sleep with the patter on this thread, i thought I would share something from cboldt (I was curious that I hadn't seen him here in a while) that augers to yer Obama Derangement Syndrome. I preface the info from DHS with
some sober counsel for yer choice of words when discussing our Prez. Be careful you don't create another john Booth.

"-- (U//LES) Threats from white supremacist and violent antigovernment groups
during 2009 have been largely rhetorical and have not indicated plans to carry
out violent acts. Nevertheless, the consequences of a prolonged economic
downturn--including real estate foreclosures, unemployment, and an inability
to obtain credit--could create a fertile recruiting environment for rightwing
extremists and even result in confrontations between such groups and
government authorities similar to those in the past.

-- (U//LES) Rightwing extremists have capitalized on the election of the first
African American president, and are focusing their efforts to recruit new
members, mobilize existing supporters, and broaden their scope and appeal
through propaganda, but they have not yet turned to attack planning.

(U//FOUO) The current economic and political climate has some similarities to the
1990s when rightwing extremism experienced a resurgence fueled largely by an
economic recession, criticism about the outsourcing of jobs, and the perceived threat to
U.S. power and sovereignty by other foreign powers.

-- (U//FOUO) During the 1990s, these issues contributed to the growth in the
number of domestic rightwing terrorist and extremist groups and an increase in
violent acts targeting government facilities, law enforcement officers, banks,
and infrastructure sectors.

-- (U//FOUO) Growth of these groups subsided in reaction to increased
government scrutiny as a result of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and
disrupted plots, improvements in the economy, and the continued U.S. standing
as the preeminent world power.

(U//FOUO) The possible passage of new restrictions on firearms and the return of
military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities
could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists
capable of carrying out violent attacks.

*
(U) Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and
adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups),
and those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or
rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a
single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.

UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Page 2 of 9"

[narciso]

The word the report left out was ex con, violent criminal, Roeder was a convicted bomb maker, Von Brunn tried to kidnap members of the Federal Reserve. 28 years ago, Those people should always be watched

[Rick Ballard]

"How bad does it have to get before the scales fall from their eyes?"

Unemployment above 11.5% is my guess. I rate that at about a 50% probability at the moment. The Q2 GNP decline number will have some short term impact (it's going to be "worse than expected") but it's the unemployment grinder that will chew him up.

[Danube of Thought]

Letter from the father of a soldier wounded in Iraq (he's had 38 surgeries):

"Since Dave Jr. has been injured he has met and been overwhelmed by many, many political and military 'celebs'. The list includes Bob Gates, Sec. of Defense, who came into his room and told him 3 or 4 times that if Dave Jr. had any issues to call his cell phone number. It includes Gen. Petereus who sat and talked with Dave Jr. for almost 45 minutes. The General recalled vividly all of the circumstances around the events that led to fighting that Dave was involved in. It includes Sen. McCain who arrived late on a Saturday afternoon during a thunder storm, unannounced, and talked to Dave Jr. about how similar their experiences with fate. It includes George Bush when Dave Jr. was invited to attend the very last Christmas party at the White House for the White House Staff. President Bush and his wife entered the ballroom and immediately went to Dave Jr.. President Bush knew Dave Jr.'s name as well as when and how he was injured. Dave Jr. had a picture taken with Laura and the President that he has framed and ill cherish forever. The list goes on and on of people coming in to meet Dave Jr. and the other wounded warriors at Waler Reed and Bethesda.

"Yesterday. Dave Jr. was ordered to be at the National Naval Hospital with another 12 soldiers and Marines to meet with Obama. Obama was supposed to arrive at 11:30 AM. He finally got there at 3:00 PM. He entered the room with the wounded warriors and quickly shook each of their hands. He never asked their names, where they were from, or how they were injured. Then he left.

"Dave Jr. has met the people who really care about the military. All he remembers from Obama is a weak handshake. The others in the room, younger and less exposed to the people that Dave Jr. has met, were so disappointed. Word about Obama's 'insensitive' visit has spread to the MATC ( the rehab facility) at Walter Reed and throughout Bethesda. The military sees through his phoniness.

"All I can say is that it is such a dissappointment that this man is Commander-In-Chief of our Armed Forces. He is an embarrasment to our Nation.

"Regards,
"Dave"

[clarice]

Jane, they like men, too..It has to be a refreshing change for American males.

_________

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090622/ap_on_go_ot/us_millions_seized>We're from DoJ and we mess up cases

Another DOJ criminal division F*(&up--same judge that bounced the Stevens case, came problem--failure to turn over exculpatory evidence--can the missing Eckenrode affidavit be stuck with gum to some idiot's file cabinet in the criminal division?

[JM Hanes]

daddy:

"I mentioned how it struck me how gorgeous the women were"

I was actually slightly discouraged by how many of the women protesting in Iran seem to have had professional manicures! It suggested less diversity in the crowds than a movement like this might need. OTOH, history also seems to suggest that revolutions don't usually get off the ground till the middle class is galvanized, so perhaps it's good sign...

Speaking of contrary readings, Geo Friedman over at Strafor has already determined that the revolution is D.O.A. IIRC, however, Strafor predictions about Iran, in particular, have been consistently wrong for years. Someone elsewhere noted that while the first demonstrations against the Shah took place in 1978, he wasn't deposed till 1979, and there were any number of lulls along the way. Maybe passing judgment 10 days out is more than a little precipitous.

In this case, I believe Friedman is factually incorrect about the vote counting. As I understand it, the ballot boxes were not handled locally, per usual, but were delivered, still sealed, to a central location for counting. That in itself would have taken additional time, and it's my impression that Ahmadinejad's victory was announced within a few hours of poll closings, not the next morning.

[matt]

DoT, where can I get a copy of that letter?

[JM Hanes]

glasater:

Many thanks for the link -- Twitter's help pages are virtually useless! Do you have a Twitter name too? I'm seeing myself as a JOM Tweeter groupie.

MayBee:

You can't possibly be less interesting than I am, with only a single tweet to my name in three months. Karl Rove is following me though! :-) In tracking #iranelection, one of the things I've found most enlightening is clicking on the links people include in their tweets. Who folks are talking to, as well as what they say, are both interesting. Of course, it's also another way to get sucked into the web without knowing where'll you'll end up....

[Extraneus]

0bama coordinating press conference questions with HuffPo...

Obama calls on HuffPost for Iran question

Wow. How humiliating for the rest of the MSM.

No wonder he won't call on Fox News.

[Danube of Thought]

Matt, I received the letter via e-mail from a friend.

[Danube of Thought]

MayBee, you're an absolute treasure at Tapper's site--none of the goofball leftists who post there can hold a candle to you.

This little item has already made my day, and it's not even noon out here on the Coast:

"Breaking: TVNewser has learned the CBS Evening News has once again set an all-time low last week with 4.89 million Total Viewers and 1.42 million A25-54 viewers. But it was also the lowest (since records began in the 1991-'92 season) for ABC's World News with Charles Gibson. The Gibson program drew 6.42 million Total Viewers and 1.77 million A25-54 viewers."

[clarice]

Mmmm DoT You really know how to make a gal happy. Smoooooooooocjes for that item.

[Jane]

Where is the "swoosh" and JMH, what's your handle?

(I don't think I've ever said "what's your handle" before)

[MayBee]

Wow, DoT. xoxoxox

[sbw]

dot: none of the goofball leftists who post there can hold a candle to you

Which means that JOM commenters can out goofball leftist anyone! Yay for us!

[daddy]

JMH,

If Karl Rove is following what you write (even if it's only on Twitter), then he truly is as smart as I hoped he was.

[daddy]

DOT,

Great letter. Thank you for that. I have flown my share of politicians in my day and the way they treat the troops comes across in about 10 seconds. Reagan---great. Bush 1---great. Hillary---horrible. I'm sure I could have guessed where Obama stacked up in that queue, but thanks for that outstanding letter confirming my suspicions.

[Jane]

I just went back and found the answers to all the questions I asked that were all ready answered. Sorry about that.

[daddy]

Clarice,

Thanks for the Judge Sullivan link. I have no idea whatever of his character or political sensibilities, but I am hoping (probably unreasonably) that he is now so fed up with dishonest prosecutors and being lied to, that he will actually take it on himself as a mission to get to the bottom of Libby. (I know, I also still believe in the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus).

And just for the fun of making you guys envious, immediately after posting this I'm going bear hunting on my bicycle. (Camera's only). The weather today is gorgeous. 2 weeks back when the daughter and I came upon 2 brown bears on the Bike Trail I lamented not having a camera. Yesterday, 2 other brown bears were spotted in the same general area, having crossed the road and sloshed around in the Turnagain Inlet. That's where I'm headed.

Here,">http://www.adn.com/">Here, are 8 pix of them if you click on the link. See you guys in 3 or 4 hours:)

[Ignatz]

--2 weeks back when the daughter and I came upon 2 brown bears on the Bike Trail I lamented not having a camera.--

May you never lament not having a gun, daddy.

[daddy]

Don't worry Ignatz. I've got one.

[Ignatz]

--Don't worry Ignatz. I've got one.--

Good. I guess I should have known.

Forgot how resourceful Alaskans are after watching search and rescue extricating Californians from their own backyards.

[glasater]

JMH-

I'm glasater55 on twitter. Mostly what I do is pass along info/sites that are interesting to me and perhaps a little off the beaten track.

It's pretty difficult to get too windy writing-wise in the one hundred forty character limit. So a person has to their thoughts in order:-)

I also love the the links folks post and am trying out tinyurl for shortening URL's but would appreciate learning about a new and perhaps easier venue.

I do try to give an attribution to the folks who post links here on JOM but sometimes space does not allow.

DebinNC and Pagar along with all the other "regulars" are my inspiration.

It will be interesting to watch how twitter evolves.

[JM Hanes]

Thanks for the compliment, daddy, but it's sort of a political courtesy to follow the folks following you. Rove's probably got the whole reciprocity thing on auto-pilot. It's all about who's got the biggest .... crowd of groupies.

glasater55, Don't look now, but I'm followin' you. I'm thinking the character limit might turn out to be a salutary discipline in my case. Less time consuming than trying to keep up a blog too!

[Cecil Turner]

This stuff from Strategypage is all good (H/T Instapundit). Noting a deleterious effect of declining public support, the Taliban is publicly denouncing terrorism. Hah!

More importantly, the convergence of newfound Pakistani energy and public support for military ops against tribal terrorists marks an existential threat for the Taliban (and their Al Qaeda guests). Not sure where this'll end up, but it's unlikely Osama's boys are gonna like it.