It's called diplomacy.

A certain Leader of the Free World should look it up. I'll bet it even has tips on pronunciation.

Diplomacy? I find it so amusing when it is said that Bush doesn't use diplomacy. In reference to Iraq, how many opportunities were given to Saddam to comply with the Gulf War I cease fire? Too many to count.

If you look at how Bush is dealing with North Korea and Iran, that is certainly diplomacy. If you want to turn this into something about Bush, go ahead. The point remains that it is beyond stupid to give a deadline for action and then take none when the deadline passes. This is what has happened now with Iran. Why on earth would anyone regard anything the UN says or does as serious? Don't pass a resolution if you aren't going to back it up.

That isn't diplomacy. That is appeasement and a sign of weakness.

Gas prices almost always drop this time of year due the end of driving season and basic supply and demand. It didn't happen last year because of the hurricanes in the gulf interrupting production and supply. With the hurricane season this year thus far a complete nonfactor, it makes total sense that prices would be dropping. If the Iranian situation heats up, oil will rise in price, but over just the last few weeks it has come down 8-9 dollars from 77 to under 68 today.

I'm glad Rummy mentioned Fascism. It's about time.

Using nationalistic ferver as a justification for the consolidation of government and military power to a single person and restrict liberties. Rallying against a religious group in the name of patriotism and overblown fears of cultural domination. Labeling of dissenting opinion as dangerous, comfort to the enemy, and treason. A populace that turns a blind eye to the errosion of civil liberties because, "I have nothing to hide," and, "My civil liberties aren't being taken away, only the bad guys'."

Yup, I'm glad he recognizes fascism when he sees it, 'cause I sure do.

Border control has all the sudden become important to Frist.

"It's time to secure the border with Mexico," Majority Leader Bill Frist said

I'm sorry....but you suck, Frist. You should have been serious about it when you wanted to be majority leader and the moment you got the position, as should the Senate majority leader before you and before him and before him and....

Control the borders of the US. One of the only specifically mandated duties of the federal government in the Constitution, and you suck at it and are afraid to touch it. While I am all for responding to an angry electorate, but with an election coming up in less than two months, there is no doubt this is a CYA for every flippin senator who has been hiding somewhere afraid to touch the issue.

Chavez of Venezuela made an interesting speech at the UN. While I won't go into what I thought of it, I loved our UN ambassador Bolton's comments about it, which was something to the effect of "He can say that about ou President standing in the middle of central park if he wishes, as could anyone. I'd like to remind him that if someone said those things about him in Venezuela they'd be shot.".

Criticize the President all you want. But at least don't use prison and death sentences to silence your own vocal detractors.

Um, unless Bolton was simply talking out of his ass again, as usual. I'm not the Venezuela expert, but I've heard nothing about Chavez's regime being anywhere near that oppressive and facist.



Please educate me if I'm simply woefully uninformed.

The exact quote I've been seeing ends without anything about being shot, just "too bad the people of Venezuela don't have free speech."

As for how things are in Venezuela, here is the opening paragraph from an open letter to Hugo Chavez by Human Rights Watch in 2004:

That's actually the premise of an old joke, the punchline of which is, "No, no. Anyone can stand in the middle of Red Square and shout "F*** Reagan."

One of the scarier moments shortly after 9/11 was Ari Fleischer's press conference where he said that people needed to watch what they do and watch what they say. Fortunately, that hysteria seems to have faded, at least overtly.

This is certainly an interesting separation of powers question. Nonetheless, I'm always struck by how the argument in favor of unchecked presidential power often dwarfs the discussion about the wisdom of what each side is advocating. I put it down to masculine fantasy. I've talked to a few decent conservative fellows on the subject, and their eyes get all glowy, one leg starts bouncing up and down, etc. It's as if they're imagining themselves as president, or as Hulk Hogan storming out from the dressing room to clean house, or Arnold/Sly/Chuck in the movies, or an all-powerful D & D character.

If the left ever has occasion to argue for an all-powerful executive, I imagine the image will be "rock star god," as no shortage of people viewed Clinton.