The Three C's

Political Blame Game Over North Korea - 11 Oct 2006 at 10:19am - North Korea's reported nuclear test has quickly turned into a political issue, with Democrats accusing President Bush of pursuing a failed policy and Republicans blaming the Clinton administration for negotiating with North Korea in the 1990s.

The three C's of conservatism: Blame Communists; Blame Canada; Blame Clinton.

Of course, negotiation cannot guarantee the desired outcome. But failure to negotiate at all can only signify one thing: that one has chosen to leave the outcome up to the other side. And if the only "negotiation" consists of one party saying, in essence, "just do what we want, because--not that we're considering this at all--but we could bomb the crap out of you if we really wanted to", should anyone be surprised if the other party accelerates the development of deterrent weapons? Sorry to disappoint GWB, Bolton, and their drum-beating ilk, but effective diplomacy is almost all carrots, and very little sticks, unless all you hope to accomplish is gaining great proficiency in the use of sticks.

Army: Troops to stay in Iraq until 2010 - 11 Oct 2006 at 11:25am - WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army has plans that would keep the current level of troops in Iraq - about 15 brigades - through 2010, the top Army officer said Wednesday.

Bombs blitz Baghdad as UN warns of chaos - 11 Oct 2006 at 1:51pm - BAGHDAD (AFP) - At least six bombs exploded around Baghdad as the death toll from a brutal civil conflict continued to rise steeply and a top UN official warned that Iraq is spiralling out of control.