The GOP's facile use of "Federalism" is again on display.
Now, when State's make their own choices, they are to be punished by the Federal Government. This time, it's Romney on immigration.
Romney has used the issue to criticize opponent Mike Huckabee, who as governor of Arkansas supported a failed attempt to extend in-state tuition and scholarships to the children of illegal immigrants. Huckabee has said he does not believe students should be punished for crimes committed by their parents.
Because we cannot have Fleetwood Mac again....
For Hillary: "Can I get a Witness?"
LIKE THE PATRIOT ACT AND NIE'S, "THINGS THAT NEED TO BE READ, FOR 500, ALEX"
Loss of sovereignty, or, more precisely, judicial sovereignty, is one of the problems with the creation of trading blocks, which are not such a bad idea, from a realist perspective, otherwise.
It appears that the most recent "compromise" includes ensconcing the status quo, in a way, in Peru, by providing ... "environment guarantees" that mitigate the normal/natural risks of "free trading".
One can easily see a link between labor and environmental standards, so that "foreign capital" from America doesn't look so obviously predatory. What the heck does how a country managing it's domestic policy on pensions have to do with it, though?
John Edwards on the Peru Deal
The Hill, on the same.
AS, ever on the lookout for the end of gay culture, notices this.
PRICED OUT OF THE MARKET
Rent is the impetus for the dissolution of the former enclaves, the "cultural centers"; and less so the grand cultural shifts that everyone posits.
After mulling the topic for a while, I think that gay cultural enclaves are a conceit worth keeping (especially, now, after cities like Chicago have ponied up money):
Exhibiting keen editorial selection, AS singles out three pieces on Iraq.
For readers, I'll summarize:
DUST GETS IN YOUR EYES
Inside the Surge
The American military finds new allies, but at what cost?
by Jon Lee Anderson
What is the swag one gets at a jihadi convention?:
After hosting a summit with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas three days ago in Ankara, Turkey is now host to a giant gathering in Istanbul of thousands of high level representatives from hundreds of radical Islamist organizations and institutions from Morocco to Indonasia.
Can this job really be "worth" $50 million? There are no competent alternatives for less?
It's on days like this that one remembers that they have a bleacher seat in the game of life, I guess:
Is this anything? Yes, you just have to see the opening (if you haven't), up until the mirror ball falls, introducing the 80s:
Let's figure out how to give Tancredo a wedgie.THE REPUBLICANS ARE ATTACKING THE PAY-AS-YOU-GO RULES, AGAIN
The Republican leadership had a news conference yesterday in which they all attacked "pay-go", as it is called, as some sort of formula for spending and tax growth, rather than fiscal responsibility.
They are trying to spin pay-go as a tax-and-spend formulation!
If I was running the Dem attack machine, this would be like gifts on a plate, for them to do such a thing while the Party is scrambling to re-cover from its profligate ways.
BADLY WRITTEN TAX LAW
Back when it was written into the code, the AMT (alternative minimum tax) should have been indexed. In fact, it would be a good idea to get two or three indexing formulas and replace most of the dollar values written into the tax code with indexed values, quite possibly.
Instead, time passes and soon the tax is applying in ways it wasn't supposed to and this provides an impetus, a gripe, a causus belli, for the Republicans to undue what has been done.
If the price of freedom is vigilance, no where is that debate more clear today than on two fronts.
TORTURE
Mary Jo White, who I like to listen to, proving why Ignatieff was right to strike early on the torture issue (I thought he was being redundant - that was before FOX launched its campaign to soften the beaches on torture). She needs to take a trip to Israel and find out why her judicial equivocating (on behalf of New Yorker's Mukasey and by extension, Giuliani) was rejected there ... by the Supreme Court.
THE ESTATE TAX
Something that has been around since the early 1900s somehow became an "urgent" issue, to save - wait for it - "family businesses"...
Warren Buffet was superb today in Committee testimony. (I'll put one up if I can find one. The whole feed from the Senate Finance Committee, today. Buffet begins around 34:00. It appears again on c-span late-late).
[btw, the Huckabee "fair tax" has the chance to rank as high in Orwellianism as "Compassionate Conservative"]
... use his new position to help the Giuliani campaign (he was an adviser to the campaign, reportedly, before he was chosen by Bush in an effort to take politics out of the DOJ ... gulp).
... could it be a Romney-Huckabee ticket? Yikes!
What would we call that, a plastic "mug" of coffee with Schnapps?
While I was thinking that early this a.m., it occurred to me that I haven't seen Obama debate a hardcore opponent, yet.
I'd estimate that Hillary would do well in a debate of Romney, but that Obama would do better against Giuliani direct style than against Romeny's slick presentation.
AS links Hillary to what he sees as the "sins" of her husband.
How does that work? On The Dish, she doesn't get common-sense credit for being a political partner, lest she submit to some sort of bizarre paper release demand, but she shares in the ... collective recrimination.
It's perceived as easier to lie than to ask for forgiveness, especially in politics, but including most other coveted leadership slots. All politicians ... ameliorate or try to not take on water they don't have to. On the whole, I cannot say I felt that Clinton-42 ever told a whopping "Presidential lie", in the sense of abusing the public trust. ["Lifting the ban" was thought to be a matter of Exec Order, like Truman's - it turned out not to be.]
VOTING THE ISSUES, NOT AS'S ... SWOONS
I like the outline of Hillary's health care plan better than Barack's. Paglia can continue to find depth in flag poles or missed tips - that's not how I vote (certainly Edward's pricey haircut didn't dissuade me). If Hillary isn't her ideal woman, so what. Who in the field is the ideal man?
I can't estimate whether Hillary is better than Barack on gay issues. I'm guessing that her Ship of State will have more gay sailors than will Barack's, who seems a little uncomfortable in close quarters, still, to me; but he might do more systematically and forcefully to help (as much as his party will let him).
We might fault Hillary for being "calculating" or "cagey", but Barack has passed a lot of ammunition to the Republicans.
Here's a final question: If I want eight years, and the next four are going to be pretty awful for the next Executive, including possible economic and national security challenges, wouldn't Hillary's well-known brand withstand a greater beating than would Barack's?
The LA Times puts it in high relief just now, asking, "Is Maliki's corruption worth American lives?"
It's the same story from Afghanistan, "Corruption rife in Afghanistan-President [Karzai]".
The 'forces of order' have strong enemies - willing to kill 59 schoolchildren with a ball bearings bomb this week - and weak allies.
The Weekly Summary from Iraq is ... too depressing.
Groups: MFN-Iraq, MNF-Afghan, Iraqi Civilian Casualties Count, Journalists (Iraq)
September wounded: 358; October: 47; [a new section for wounded forthcoming ... soon, I hope!]
notes:
The "battlefield" Afghanistan is HOT - you'll see it in the casualties this week.
If you noticed a pattern from the dailies, two totals this week that confirm:
| ------- | Name, Age | Srv Branch | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank, Unit | |||
| Location; Circumstance of Death | |||
| Casey P. Mason, 22 | U.S. Army | Lake, MI | |
| Private 1st Class, 728th Military Police BN, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command | |||
| Mosul (near); 13-Nov-07; Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire | |||
| Christopher R. Kruse, 23 | U.S. Army | Emporia, KS | |
| Sergeant, 2nd BN, 23rd Infantry Reg, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division | |||
| Mukhisa; 13-Nov-07; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack | |||
| Peter W. Schmidt, 30 | U.S. Army | Eureka, CA | |
| Specialist, 2nd BN, 23rd Infantry Reg, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division | |||
| Mukhisa; 13-Nov-07; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack | |||
| Joseph M. Vanek, 22 | U.S. Army | Elmhurst, IL | |
| Sergeant, 2nd BN, 325th Airborne Infantry Reg, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division | |||
| Baghdad; 12-Nov-07; Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire | |||
| Jermaine D. Franklin, 22 | U.S. Army | Arlington, TX | |
| Specialist, 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Reg, 1st Brigade Combat Team, (Air Assault) 101st Airborne Division | |||
| Jisr Naft; 09-Nov-07; Hostile - hostile fire - IED, grenades | |||
| Benjamin D. Tiffner, 31 | U.S. Army | n.a., WV | |
| Captain, 1st BN, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) | |||
| Baghdad; 07-Nov-07; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack | |||
| Lui Tumanuvao, 29 | U.S. Army | Fagaalu, AS | |
| Sergeant, 1st BN, 30th Infantry Reg, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division | |||
| Arab Jabour; 07-Nov-07; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack | |||
WEEKLY CASUALTY LIST: ISAF-AFGHANISTAN
| ------ | Name, Age | Srv Branch | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank, Unit | |||
| Location; Circumstance of Death | |||
 | Name Not Released Yet | Not reported yet | n.a. |
| Not reported yet, Not reported yet | |||
| Eastern Afghanistan; 12-Nov-07; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack | |||
| Adrian Hike, 26 | Not reported yet | Ralston, IA |
| Sergeant, 173rd Airborne | |||
| Eastern Afghanistan; 12-Nov-07; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack | |||
| Patrick F. Kutschbach, 25 | U.S. Army | McKees Rocks, PA |
| Staff Sergeant, 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group | |||
| Tagab (Died in Bagram); 10-Nov-07; Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack | |||
| Phillip Allen Bocks, 28 | U.S. Marine | Troy, MI |
| Sergeant, Not reported yet | |||
| Aranus; 10-Nov-07; Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack | |||
| Joseph M. Lancour, 21 | U.S. Army | Swartz Creek, MI |
| Private 1st Class, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team | |||
| Aranus; 09-Nov-07; Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack | |||
| Lester G. Roque, 23 | U.S. Army | Torrance, CA |
| Specialist, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team | |||
| Aranus; 09-Nov-07; Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack | |||
| Sean K. A. Langevin, 23 | U.S. Army | Walnut Creek, CA |
| Specialist, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team | |||
| Aranus; 09-Nov-07; Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack | |||
| Jeffery S. Mersman, 23 | U.S. Army | Parker, KS |
| Sergeant, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team | |||
| Aranus; 09-Nov-07; Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack | |||
| Matthew C. Ferrara, 24 | U.S. Army | Torrance, CA |
| 1st Lieutenant, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team | |||
| Aranus; 09-Nov-07; Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack | |||
 | Jake Alderton, 22 | British Army | Bexley-UK |
| Lance Corporal, 20 Field Squadron, 36 Engineer Regiment | |||
| Sangin (Helmand Province); 09-Nov-07; Non-hostile - vehicle accident | |||
 | Kristoffer Sørli Jørgensen, 22 | Norwegian Home Guard | Stange-Norway |
| Private, Opplandske Heimevernsdistrikt 05 | |||
| Maymana (near); 08-Nov-07; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack | |||
WEEKLY CASUALTY LIST: IRAQI CIVILIAN, counted by large event
| Counted Civilian Casualties: 206 this week; 229 last week; 283 prior week. | |
| Counted bodies found: 57 this week; 130 last week; 100 prior week. | |
| Tuesday 13 November: 24 dead | |
| Baghdad: | 6 bodies. |
| Mosul: | US forces kill suspected insurgent in his house, along with his wife and baby; gunmen kill policeman; gunmen kill medic; body found. |
| Baquba: | 2 die in explosions. |
| Abu Saida: | 3 bodies. |
| Kirkuk: | policeman killed by gunmen; body found. |
| Monday 12 November: 31 dead | |
| Baghdad: | gunmen kill 2 policemen, Abu Ghraib; 5 bodies. |
| Baquba: | gunmen kill academic, Dr Haitham Abdel-Salam, and passenger in his car. |
| Mosul: | 4 killed in separate incidents. |
| Jurf al-Sakhar: | roadside bomb kills 2. |
| Hawija: | headless corpse is found. |
| Qadir Kam: | family of 5 is found murdered. |
| Adwaniya: | 5 citizens fighting against al-Qaeda are killed during battle. |
| Sunday 11 November: 17 dead | |
| Baghdad: | roadside bomb targeting US patrol kills 12-year-old child, Baladiyat; civilian killed in bomb explosion outside policeman's house, Bayaa; 4 bodies. |
| Baquba: | gunmen kill student. |
| Mosul: | man killed by gunmen; body found. |
| Qasim: | body found. |
| Diwaniya: | 3 killed in violent attacks. |
| Saturday 10 November: 42 dead | |
| Baghdad: | roadside bomb kills 2, Baladiyat; man is shot dead in his car, Adil; 3 'Awakening' members are mistakenly killed in US airstrike, Yathrib; another civilian is killed in the same airstrike; 6 bodies. |
| Diwaniya: | US plane bombs two homes, kills father of 10. |
| Baquba: | 2 killed by gunmen; 4 bodies. |
| Mosul: | 4 killed by roadside bomb; gunmen kill policeman. |
| Balad Ruz: | roadside bomb kills 2 policemen. |
| Friday 9 November: 23 dead | |
| Fifty-nine schoolchildren were killed in the Baghlan suicide attack on November 6. Ball bearings were used in the Baghlan attack; police detained two suspects. | |
| Baghdad: | 2 killed by roadside bomb, Kadhimiya; 3 bodies. |
| Khanaqeen: | 3 policemen killed in explosions. |
| Balad Ruz: | 3 children killed in mortar attacks. |
| Baquba: | a bomb in a field kills child. |
| Hawija: | policeman killed by roadside bomb. |
| Albu Ajeel: | gunmen attack on village leaves 3 residents dead. |
| Khalis: | suicide bomber blows himself up inside Sheikh's house during meeting, kills 5 Sunni Sheikhs and 2 others. |
| Thursday 8 November: 40 dead | |
| Baghdad: | policeman killed in ambush; 4 bodies. |
| Falluja: | roadside bomb targeting police patrol kills 6 policemen. |
| Mandali: | gunmen kill 3 policemen; 9 bodies. |
| Baquba: | 2 members of Awakening Council killed by gunmen; policeman killed during clashes. |
| That Thar: | 7 bodies. |
| Mahaweel: | 2 bodies. |
| Wednesday 7 November: 29 dead | |
| Baghdad: | gunmen kill the son of Mizher Al-Sheikhli ( a member of the political bureau of the Islamic party), Dora; also a maths teacher on her way to work, Mansour; 6 bodies. |
| Suwayra: | roadside bomb kills 2 children. |
| Diwaniya: | mortars strike house, kill 2 children. |
| Hashimiyat: | mass grave containing 17 bodies is found. |
WEEKLY CASUALTY LIST: JOURNALISTS IN IRAQ
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Circumstances | |
| None counted this week. | |
src: MNF-I, MNF-A, journalists from icasualties.org; Iraqi Civiilan: iraqbodycount.org; Afghan events from Bill Roggio, other sources
