Clarke drops a bomb on the Bush Administration

A rough day for the Bush folks. Richard Clarke debuted his new book on 60 minutes (he was Bush's counter terroism expert - and Reagans, Papa Bush and Clinton's) and poked a damning finger at how Bush and his administration have handled the war on terror. Knowing this fixation the current administration has on Iraq, I have the sickening feeling, he is dead-on. At the same time Joseph Biden was saying on This Week, ""I am much more concerned about the safety of my granddaughter in school here in Washington because of al-Qaeda than I am with 10 Saddam Husseins. And we took our eye off the ball because of a preoccupation with Iraq,". Even Chuck Hagel (R) commented on the program that "he is concerned by Mr. Clarke's allegations that the Bush administration did not give adequate attention to al-Qaida. "Without bringing this to the highest levels of government and putting the appropriate focus on it, with the responsible players, then it is going to get lost. And according to Clarke's book, or at least what I read of it, that's much of what he charges here, that it did get lost, that it wasn't a priority, and that's a very serious charge," he said. "

I have a growing concern (as was espoused on This Week) that come June 30th when it is time for the Iraqi's to govern themselves, and we start some kind of exit move, that Al Qaeda is going to find that a fine time to attack. Bush needs to go to Nato and to the World Community now and doing some major fixing up or I shudder to think.... I think this country is at a crisis point in this war on terror and if we reelect this administration that still hasn't awoken to the real threat of terroism, we are in for some damn rough times. Your choice America - if you don't vote, don't blame me.... (For a refreshing look at what a Kerry Administration might bring in dealing with the countries of the world, read this article in the Wash. Post.

Hey Paul - think there might just be a better use for all that money?
Here's a guy blessed with gazillions of bucks and he's going Alien chasing. How bout spending that 13.5 million on schools or something? Chump change to you Paul, but might keep some teachers from having to buy their own crayons. Get a grip, buddy. Nothing wrong with space exploration, but we have a few more pressing problems at the moment, don't you think?

Basketball
On a brighter note, the state of Alabama must be going nuts. First Alabama upsets top seed Stanford, then little Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham rises up and smites the big boy Kentucky, another #1 seed. This is one of the really great sports that one can watch during the year - the NCAA basketball finals. They're not yet making the obnoxious bucks and the little guy can rise up and smack the big guy - great fun.

Word of the Day

red herring

A smoked herring having a reddish color.

Something that draws attention away from the central issue.

Usage: The White House is dismissing as a "red herring" charges from the administration's former counter-terrorism coordinator that President Bush has been more focused on Iraq than al Qaeda.
Idomatic Note: Something that draws attention away from the central issue, as in Talking about the new plant is a red herring to keep us from learning about downsizing plans. The herring in this expression is red and strong-smelling from being preserved by smoking. The idiom alludes to dragging a smoked herring across a trail to cover up the scent and throw off tracking dogs. [Late 1800s]

Quote of the Day
"America has always been an argument about wilderness, what it means and how it is measured and defined. The old idea is that wilderness defines a place out there, an amplitude of emptiness that can easily accommodate the human imperative. After all, it was once commonly predicted that it would take centuries to populate this vast land. But in our world wilderness is sharply demarcated, surrounded and, in logistical terms, not really wilderness at all, like Yellowstone. What preserves it isn't its amplitude but our restraint." ... a quotation from "Stumbling Upon Wolf Tracks in the Northern Reaches of Yellowstone" by Verilyn Klinkenborg (New York Times 10/5/03)