Just sayin'

I just had to share. ;-) For more info on Nanowrimo, click here.

Perspective is Important

Al-Qaeda on the verge of collapse?

I imagine after the political fiasco of the "Mission Accomplished" banner, the Bush Administration is loathe to call any conflict "near victory". But the CIA has now released a report indicating that Al-Qaeda may be on its last legs.

"On balance, we are doing pretty well," he said, ticking down a list of accomplishments: "Near strategic defeat of al-Qaeda in Iraq. Near strategic defeat for al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia. Significant setbacks for al-Qaeda globally -- and here I'm going to use the word 'ideologically' -- as a lot of the Islamic world pushes back on their form of Islam," he said.

The sense of shifting tides in the terrorism fight is shared by a number of terrorism experts, though some caution that it is too early to tell whether the gains are permanent. Some credit Hayden and other U.S. intelligence leaders for going on the offensive against al-Qaeda in the area along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where the tempo of Predator strikes has dramatically increased from previous years. But analysts say the United States has caught some breaks in the past year, benefiting from improved conditions in Iraq, as well as strategic blunders by al-Qaeda that have cut into its support base.

"One of the lessons we can draw from the past two years is that al-Qaeda is its own worst enemy," said Robert Grenier, a former top CIA counterterrorism official who is now managing director of Kroll, a risk consulting firm. "Where they have succeeded initially, they very quickly discredit themselves."

This may also explain the rumored Bin Laden tape which calls for the use of WMDs on Western Civilians - a sign of desperation and a complete abandonment of any moral high ground by even the most ardent Militant Islamic observer.

Ward and I were discussing just yesterday the administrations unwillingness to toot its own horn right now in the Iraq War and the battle against Al-Gaeda. Do you think this is a reversal of that policy, or is the CIA trying to make their own news outside of the White House news cycle?

Obama's victory speech belies statesmanship

If you compare this to the speech Barack Obama gave after South Carolina, the difference is striking. The latter was EXTREMELY presidential and dealt with high-minded themes and philosophy. This speech is simply a laundrylist of programs which transforms Obama from "statesman" to "policy wonk". I predict this speech will cause a lot of his crossover supporters to rethink their decision.

Of course, you can't remain the candidate of vague philosophies forever. Obama eventually needed to bring it down to brass tacks. The question is, now that he has begun to actually talk about his plans, will it hurt his vote totals?

Obama and Huckabee Victory Speeches from Iowa

I did not stay up to watch the returns come in. If you also chose sleep over political curiosity, then you may be interested to see the victory speeches below.

Barack Obama

I will admit that even though I am *not* a supporter, Obama's speech did give me chills.

Mike Huckabee

I will admit the only thing that really went through my mind during Huckabee's speech is, "I hope if he wins it all he doesn't float the idea of Chuck Norris for VP."

Oh, and apparently Chris Dodd and Joe Biden dropped out of the race last night as well. No word of any Republicans dropping prior to New Hampshire.