Patterico's Pontifications

8/20/2008

US-Iraq Agree on Timeline for Troop Withdrawal

Filed under: International,War — DRJ @ 10:26 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

The AP reports US and Iraqi negotiators have entered into a draft agreement that contains a timetable for withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. Troop withdrawals are to begin June 30, 2009, with further withdrawals completed in 2011, although the ultimate end date may be subject to “conditions on the ground.”

The parties also accepted a strategic framework agreement that generally outlines “political, security and economic relationships between Iraq and the United States.” The draft agreements must be approved by President Bush on behalf of the US and by Iraqi leaders.

Reports to date indicate the big stumbling block was troop immunity but that issue has apparently been resolved:

“The official said a compromise had been worked out on the contentious issue of whether to provide U.S. troops immunity from prosecution under Iraqi law, but he did not give details. In Washington, the senior military official said the draft agreement reflects the U.S. position that the United States must retain exclusive legal jurisdiction over its troops in Iraq.”

Until recently, President Bush resisted a withdrawal timeline but I wonder if he decided it was better to negotiate withdrawal on his terms than risk the possibility a President Obama might be the negotiator. Also, my guess – and it is just a guess – is that the US traded away any right to reimbursement from Iraq’s oil revenues in exchange for troop immunity.

— DRJ

Obama Supporters Like Biden for VP

Filed under: 2008 Election — DRJ @ 8:32 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

The AP reports Obama’s “staff in Chicago and party activists” like Senator Joe Biden (D-Del) for Obama’s VP because:

… he can address two of Obama’s biggest weaknesses — his lack of experience, especially on world affairs, and his reluctance to go on the attack.”

If his own people think he lacks experience and won’t defend himself or his policies … What, exactly, does Obama bring to the ticket?

— DRJ

Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones

Filed under: Miscellaneous — DRJ @ 7:31 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

US Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) died today at the Cleveland Clinic of a brain aneurysm:

“Tubbs Jones, 58, suffered the hemorrhage while driving her car in Cleveland Heights on Tuesday, said Dr. Gus Kious, president of Huron Hospital in East Cleveland. The congresswoman had been driving erratically and her vehicle crossed lanes of traffic before coming to a stop, police said.

Tubbs Jones “collapsed when she suffered a very serious brain hemorrhage caused by an aneurysm that burst in an inaccessible part of her brain,” Kious said during a news conference. A team of doctors who evaluated her determined she [had] limited brain function.”

I don’t recall hearing much about Stephanie Tubbs Jones before today but for some reason this story made an impact on me. Maybe it was seeing the smiling, vibrant photos of Tubbs Jones linked in the online reports. Maybe it was thinking about how, in the blink of an eye, she stopped being that vibrant person and realizing that could happen to anyone. Or maybe it was because the reports I read included descriptions of her broken-hearted friends and family.

RIP Stephanie Tubbs Jones and condolences to her family and friends.

— DRJ

An Obama Rorschach Test (Updated)

Filed under: 2008 Election,Terrorism — DRJ @ 4:21 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Look at the photo of Barack Obama (scroll down) in this Michelle Malkin post and tell me what it makes you think of.

There’s no right or wrong answer. I’m curious if anyone else had the same reaction I did.

UPDATE: Triptych Messiah.

— DRJ

McCain Campaign: Obama’s Questionable Associations

Filed under: 2008 Election — DRJ @ 4:08 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Following up on Stanley Kurtz’s article on William Ayers and the Annenberg Challenge records, this Rich Lowry post at National Review Online suggests the McCain campaign believes now is a good time to discuss Obama’s questionable associations:

“… if Barack Obama wants to have a discussion about truly questionable associations, let’s start with his relationship with the unrepentant terrorist William Ayers, at whose home Obama’s political career was reportedly launched. Mr. Ayers was a leader of the Weather Underground, a terrorist group responsible for countless bombings against targets including the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon and numerous police stations, courthouses and banks. In recent years, Mr. Ayers has stated, ‘I don’t regret setting bombs … I feel we didn’t do enough.’

“The question now is, will Barack Obama immediately call on the University of Illinois to release all of the records they are currently withholding to shed further light on Senator Obama’s relationship with this unrepentant terrorist?”

—McCain spokesman Brian Rogers”

H/T Dmac.

— DRJ

Advice from Michael Moore

Filed under: 2008 Election — DRJ @ 2:28 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Michael Moore has written an open letter to Caroline Kennedy asking her to “pull a Cheney” and pick herself as Obama’s Vice President. He’s also shared with Barack Obama this blueprint for how to lose the Presidential election:

1. Keep saying nice things about McCain.

2. Pick a running mate who is a conservative white guy or a general or a Republican.

3. Keep writing speeches for Obama that make him sound like a hawk.

4. Forget that this was a historic year for women.

5. Show up to a gunfight with a peashooter.

6. Denounce me!

Of course, Moore’s advice regarding how to lose the election is tongue-in-cheek because Moore wants Obama to win. Thus, Moore wants Obama to do the opposite of his advice, which basically means he wants Obama to remember who got him to the nomination and fight hard against conniving Republicans.

At the link, Moore amplifies on each item but about half-way through he seems to go off-track and tell Obama what he should do to win, instead of sticking with his “do this to lose” theme. It’s funny because Obama seems to be following all Moore’s advice — both the “things to do to lose” and the “things to do to win.” It reminds me of organized chaos.

And yet, somehow, it still makes sense.

— DRJ

Giuliani to give Keynote Speech at GOP Convention

Filed under: General — WLS @ 1:23 pm



Posted by WLS:

Bullseye.  Rudy is the closest the GOP has to a speaker as effective from the podium as Obama.  I’ve seen him in person both in a large setting and in a small setting.  Rudy’s great strength as a speaker is his ability to make every member of a very large audience feel as if Rudy is speaking to them.  He’s funny and knows how to deliver a line — both applause lines and attack lines.  He’ll have the convention attendees going wild by the time he’s done.  Perfect choice.

Choosing Gov. Linda Lingle from Hawaii to give a speech on Tuesday is interesting.  She’s a liberal Republican, Jewish heritage, has run a pretty much scandal free administration in a Democrat state for two terms — she didn’t face any serious opposition for re-election — and its considered a very strong GOP candidate for Senate when one of Hawaii’s two octegenarian senators finally retire given that she has run state-wide 3 times, won twice and lost by only 40,000 votes to the incumbent Dem. governor in 1999.

The National Enquirer Is Going “All In” on John Edwards — I’m Sure Obama Loves the Timing

Filed under: General — WLS @ 1:06 pm



[Posted by WLS]

Take a look at the cover of the next issue — they claim they have the “Mistress’ Story”. Sounds suspicously like its coming from a 3rd party, otherwise they would have been more explicit. Nevertheless, the NYT story last week unraveling the connection between the lawyers for her and the Edwards aide who claimed he was the father, the money paid to them by a deep-pocketed Edwards supporter — as well as paying to relocate both families to Califronia — all seem to be leading to a break in the dam.

I’m sure the money to the mother is conditioned upon her silence, so she’s not going to speak out herself. That doesn’t prevent others from speaking out on her behalf. Edwards going on national TV to deny the length of the affair, and expressly denying paternity, may have been too much for people close to her.

“We’ll be together when Elizabeth is gone” — Wow.

Down Time

Filed under: Law — DRJ @ 12:55 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Blogging has been light today – at least for me – because I couldn’t access the website for awhile. I had no problem getting to other websites so I assume it was limited to this website. Sorry about that!

If I had been able to blog, I might have posted something on this Houston Chronicle article about a 2.8″ defense to indecent exposure.

The defense didn’t work. This opinion seems to be the comparatively tame (but not short!) court decision.

Then again, maybe it’s all for the best. There wasn’t much to that story.

— DRJ

Media Bias for Obama “Greater Than Imagined”

Filed under: 2008 Election,Media Bias — DRJ @ 9:18 am



[Guest post by DRJ]

From the Washington Post’s Trailblazer blog, the Media Research Center says the good coverage the media has given the Obama campaign has been even “greater than anyone imagined” [emphasis supplied]:

“Now the conservative Media Research Center says the imbalance is far greater than anyone imagined.

The advocacy group, which lives to complain about liberal bias, has studied the coverage on the network evening newscasts from May 2000 (the first mention of the senator from Illinois) through the end of the Democratic primaries in June. Overall, the group says, 34 percent of the stories about Obama were positive and 5 percent negative. The rest were characterized as neutral.”

It’s always nice to start the day with a heaping cup of media bias and clearly the Washington Post, which lives to slam conservatives, knows bias when it sees it.

H/T Instapundit.

— DRJ

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