Informed Speculation

…so posting will be light, but not nonexistent. I’m shocked to discover that John McCain really IS running for president, and I truly AM shocked that there is no verdict yet in the Libby trial. Take it away, Tom Maguire!…so what’s going on in your world?…

Well, the Ron Paul fans are up in arms because (a) I don’t condone them spamming the Pajamas Media Straw Poll, and (b) because I’m ‘blacklisting’ and ‘censoring’ him.  Whatever the hell that means.  It’s a personal blog, folks.  I couldn’t possibly censor anyone, I don’t have governmental power.  As for ‘blacklisting’, well, I just [...]

It’s clear to even the most blinkered multilateralists that Iran has no intention whatsoever of complying with the UN’s ‘mandate’ that it give up its nuclear weapons program – oh, I’m sorry, peaceful uranium enrichment program.  What can we do about it, particulary with Russia throwing up roadblocks everywhere? Here’s David Ignatius in the Washington [...]

Whoa, now THIS is a lead:
In the Republican race, former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, who recently made clear his intentions to seek the presidency, has expanded his lead over Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Giuliani holds a 2 to 1 advantage over McCain among Republicans, according to the poll, more than tripling his [...]

…the country is one step closer to defusing one of the huge barriers to a shared national identity.  I’m talking about the oil-revenue-sharing plan that has now cleared the cabinet and is heading to parliament:
The Iraqi cabinet approved a draft of a law on Monday that would set guidelines for nationwide distribution of oil revenues [...]

Let’s take a moment to conduct one of our periodic checks on the economic progress of the most prominent socialist…er, ‘fair trade’ advocate, the ’friend of the worker’ Hugo Chavez:
President Hugo Chavez ordered by decree on Monday the takeover of oil projects run by foreign oil companies in Venezuela’s Orinoco River region.
Chavez had previously announced the government’s [...]

…remains the specter of nuclear terrorism, a cause that is near and dear to my own heart, as long-time readers know.  Sam Nunn has been a true warrior in the fight to limit this threat, and as such, I welcomed the lenthy writeup focusing on his battle in the NY Times Magazine.  I highly, highly [...]

What’s that noise all across Washington? Why, it’s the furious backpedaling of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, as they ‘cut and run’ from the political mess they’ve made:
Democratic leaders backed away from aggressive plans to limit President Bush’s war authority, the latest sign of divisions within their ranks over how to proceed.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, [...]

Thank God he’s okay, but tragically, 23 are dead:
A suicide bomber attacked the entrance to the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan on Tuesday during a visit by Vice President Dick Cheney, killing up to 23 people and wounding 20. Cheney was unhurt in the attack, which was claimed by the Taliban and was the [...]

Partisan posturing is the name of the game when it comes to the Democratic war strategy, reports Michael Duffy of TIME:
Led by Nevada’s Harry Reid, Senate Democrats are making an effort to galvanize support around a still-unspecified resolution which would, in effect, replace the resolution that authorized George W. Bush to go to war in [...]

I’ve been wondering when Barack Obama might start to show a little movement – well, one poll does not a movement make (ouch! That’s weak), but the latest Zogby results have to make Hillary a bit nervous:

Among those who said they would vote in the Democratic primary or caucus for President, Clinton leads with 33% [...]

Lots of chatter today over this ridiculous story:
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has a new commandment for the 2008 presidential field: Thou shalt not mention anything related to the impeachment of her husband.
With a swift response to attacks from a former supporter last week, advisers to the New York Democrat offered a glimpse of their strategy [...]

Really, George W. Bush should just hire Joe Lieberman to deliver his Iraq speeches – though it gets him pilloried on the left, he truly has been one of the war’s most eloquent defenders, and his latest is no exception:
What is remarkable about this state of affairs in Washington is just how removed it is [...]

I’m frankly amazed that the jury has yet to return a verdict in the Libby trial – now I get a breaking news alert that a juror has been dismissed.  Apparently it is related to this story:
Attorneys and a federal judge began questioning each juror in the CIA leak trial Monday after one juror apparently [...]

Plenty to chew over in this wide-ranging Pew Poll.  Some highlights:
78% of Republicans say there is a good or some chance they would vote for Rudy, vs. 65% for McCain.  Rudy’s favorables continue to impress:
The comments about Rudy Giuliani show that he draws on a deep well of positive feeling about his performance as New [...]

In keeping with recent news accounts of al-Qaeda and the Taliban regrouping, the President has apparently had enough:
President Bush has decided to send an unusually tough message to one of his most important allies, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the president of Pakistan, warning him that the newly Democratic Congress could cut aid to his country unless his [...]

Okay, no liveblog this year – I’m just not motivated enough…but I do want to open a thread for various odds and ends…starting with my delight that Pan’s Labyrinth won the night’s first award for art direction.  I loved the movie (it was one of my three favorites this year, along with United 93 and [...]

…and I’m still debating whether to continue my tradition of liveblogging the Oscars for a third straight year.  While I ponder, here’s a look at the real awards show everyone was waiting for, the Razzies – congratulations to Sharon Stone for a near-total sweep.  Of course, Al Gore is a near lock to become the [...]

This is certainly a downer:
A suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives and ball bearings blew himself up at a Baghdad university today, killing at least 40 people and strewing fingers, pens, purses and bloody textbooks all over the ground.
The blast, at a campus of Mustansiriya University, was one of several bombs and explosions [...]

Never let it be said I’m above a little gloating.  I took great delight in seeing this article in today’s Washington Post, detailing the continued ineptness of the Democratic response to the war:
The plan was bold: By tying President Bush’s $100 billion war request to strict standards of troop safety and readiness, Democrats believed they [...]