December 31, 2007

Happy New Year to All Readers of this Site

And Pajamas Media.

It's gonna be one helluva year... whatever happens.

Champagne for tonight: Bonville Blanc de Blancs

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 5:34 PM
Comments (4)

Huckabee Jumps the Shark - Again!

Talk about not ready for prime time... Of course, he has competition.

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 5:31 PM
Comments (3)

December 30, 2007

Sarko for President ... des Etats-Unis

I'm serious. I'd vote for him, if I could. Isn't he a more vibrant leader than anybody running in our election? Let's be honest. And now he has the cojones to suspend relations with Syria over the Baathist's interference in the Lebanese election. Okay, even if we can't elect Sarkozy, we should elect the person best able to work with him, because he is so much more creative and fearless than any of our politicians. Still skeptical? ... There's more... I ask you ... who has better taste in women - Bill Clinton or Nicolas Sarkozy?

Posted by Roger at 10:50 PM
Comments (5)

Ayatollah Huckabee

Back in the distant days of 1998:

He gave the speech the same year he endorsed the Baptist convention's statement of beliefs on marriage that "a wife is to submit graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ." Huckabee and his wife, Janet, signed a full-page ad in USA Today in support of the statement with 129 other evangelical leaders.

He and the Saudis should get along just fine.

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 1:44 PM
Comments (8)

McCain Rising

A lot of Republicans have been angry at John McCain over the years for wandering off the reservation. Never bothered me, of course, because I find rigid party politics soporific. And I like people with free minds, even if I disagree with them.

So having watched this ongoing campaign, I'm not surprised to see the rise of McCain whose semi-maverick qualities (can't really be a maverick in American politics and hope to win) will no doubt appeal to the public, especially as opposed to candidates running for national talk show host (Obama, Edwards, Romney) and or national preacher (Huckabee). In the shadow of Bhutto, McCain's experience appeals. What happens next?

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 9:46 AM
Comments (23)

December 29, 2007

WATCHED or EJECTED: More One-Word Movie Reviews

From the Academy DVD freebie pile....

The Great Debaters - WATCHED

The Kingdom - EJECTED

Knocked Up - EJECTED (I thought it was going to be funny - twenty-year old stoner jokes)

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 11:48 AM
Comments (3)

December 28, 2007

John Edwards - Destroyed forever by Peggy Noonan

"...Mr. Edwards's populism is the worst of both worlds, both intemperate and insincere."

Her other evaluations are interesting at the link.

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 9:09 AM
Comments (2)

I used to think Iowa was Hicksville ...

And I'm beginning to think so again. How anyone could even consider electing that uneducated clown Mike Huckabee as President is beyond me. Not only is he completely ignorant of foreign affairs in a time of terrorism, he's a sleazy religious huckster. If the Republicans nominate Huckabee, they will deserve the drubbing they get.

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 8:10 AM
Comments (13)

December 27, 2007

SF Tiger Controversy: Dept. of Why We Need Experts

From the SFGate: "Experts say that the depth of the moat and height of the walls could have a large impact on the animal's ability to escape the enclosure."

[You should have said Dept. of Duh.-ed. I was being discrete. You?]

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 7:12 PM
Comments (3)

Waking to Bhutto Day

Out here in California during Xmas week (waking up at a tardy 7:30), I was the last on my virtual block to learn of the Bhutto assassination. Of course, in the Islamic world we expect these things to happen via suicide bombings, because collateral damage is not considered - or even considered to be collateral. The more the merrier in the name of God.

Since all politics is semi-local, it will be interesting to see what ramifications this event has on domestic presidential politics. The Ron Paul Cult seems pretty absurd in the face of all this. The idea that America can retract into itself in the face of this insanity is, well, insane, but they are, as I said, a cult, so they will likely behave as such. For the more normal candidates the results may be different. Voter interest, I should think, will be refocused on the problems of the world, even though much of the electorate would not have been able to identify Benazir Bhutto. But many do know that Pakistan is nuclear. At least I hope they do.

Sorry to be parochial in the face of such a tragedy, but those are the times in which we live. "Interesting," as the Chinese curse goes.

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 7:42 AM
Comments (12)

December 26, 2007

Why Are There No Front Runners in This Election, Oh Zen Master?

With this group, there should be a front runner?

You're a Jewish Zen Master?

Why are there no front runners in this election?

I just asked you that question.

Why would you even be interested?

Because I want to vote and there are so many candidates.

Yes. Like television.

Posted by Roger at 11:00 PM
Comments (1)

Like being a private detective, politics is a lonely business...

This one sentence from a Jonah Goldberg article made me laugh:

In Iowa, where residents are told every day for a year that the fate of the world hangs on their vote, fewer than 1% of the population attends the caucuses. And Iowans are supposed to take "the process" extremely seriously.

[That's two sentences.-ed. Okay. Big deal. It's late.]

Continued best wishes of the season. (I'll save my "I hate Iowa and New Hampshire" diatribe for later.) Meanwhile, if you haven't already seen it, this is pretty funny, for an old joke.

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 10:35 PM
Comments (1)

December 25, 2007

A Jew's Christmas

Growing up, I always liked Christmas better than Hanukkah. It seemed like more fun. Since I was of an agnostic turn of mind from a very young age, this was not difficult. Religion did not come into it. Besides, my mother - who loved Christmas - assured me it was a pagan holiday based around the Winter solstice and trees. We always got more presents on Christmas and Hanukkah was rather perfunctory.

Later, as I learned more about the oppression (and annihilation) of my ancestors, I became more ambivalent. At times I wanted to celebrate Hanukkah only.

Now I say - both are good. Presents good, songs good, food and drink good, ski vacations good (usually), Lakers against Phoenix good, etc., etc.

To those few readers wasting time on the Internet today - have fun! Thanks for joining me here and on Pajamas Media. Whatever happens next year - it's going to be interesting.

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 8:39 AM
Comments (12)

December 24, 2007

Israel and Its Enemies: Thinking about the Unthinkable

I believe this article in the Jerusalem Post was published today as a reminder to Israel's enemies:

If a nuclear war between Israel and Iran were to break out 16-20 million Iranians would lose their lives - as opposed to 200,000-800,000 Israelis, according to a report recently published by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), which is headed by Anthony H. Cordesman, formerly an analyst for the US Department of Defense. The document, which is largely theoretical due to the lack of verified knowledge in some areas - specifically in terms of Israel's nuclear capability - paints various scenarios and attempts to predict the strategies of regional powers, as well as the US.

It goes on to talk about blowing up Syria (another 16 million deaths), Cairo and the Aswan Dam (the latter if Egypt entered the fray). No telling how man corpses that would yield - and this is without fallout.

A great thing to think about on Christmas Eve. This is not the greatest year ever, is it? It reminds me, yet again, of what the winner among our presidential candidates will have to deal with in January 2009. Forget Social Security or immigration, how about Armageddon? And now we learn Iran is planing 19 reactors... good luck to all of us.

I must say my Pajamas colleague Bill Bradley has a lot more faith in the NIE than I do - or apparently the British, French and Israelis. [You don't believe the CIA? They were so good on the Soviet Union and 9/11.-ed. Don't belabor the obvious.]

Posted by Roger at 10:32 AM
Comments (5)

December 23, 2007

Win an iPhone from Pajamas Media or...

... an iPod Touch, if you already have or don't want the phone... other prizes too... for predicting the top three Iowa and New Hampshire finishers in order in both parties. Ties will entire a drawing, assuming anyone gets all twelve right (I don't think I could). Give it a shot. It's fun. Click here.

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 1:44 PM
Comments (0)

Obama vs. Edwards: "Battle of the Money Hypocrites"

This is a year when I'm not in love with any candidates in either party, but the two I like least (discounting Paul and Kucinich) are Obama and Edwards. There's little I find more repellent than multi-millionaires battling each other over the votes of the "common man." Which one really "walks the walk," as the dimwitted cliché goes, in their mutual populist crusades? Well, open up your bank account, fellas... and while we're at it, let's have a look at those tax returns... hope they don't include too many of those deductions inaccessible to the poor and middle class.

[These two guys would make great talk show hosts.-ed. Absolutely - and they look it.]

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 12:19 PM
Comments (1)

More One-Word Movie Reviews (Not)

Continuing my one word reviews (WATCHED or EJECTED) from my stack of Academy Award freebies. As readers know, I violated the one word rule from the get-go. Oh, well....

Enchanted - WATCHED, but only because Madeleine was with me. This one wasn't as good as the reviews. This is the kind of movie Hollywood made more often years ago and better then too. The new version misses the requisite Star Power for this kind of thing (among other faults).

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - WATCHED!!! This is the first movie I have seen among this year's crop that merits an award. In fact, I doubt if I will see anything better. Julian Schnabel's film of the extraordinary experience of French journalist J-D Bauby is a masterpiece - or something close to it. Bauby had a form of stroke - cerebro-vascular accident - which paralyzed him, and then wrote a book by blinking his one good eye. See this movie. Visually one of the greatest films in recent memory. It takes you inside the point of view of a stroke victim - deeply sad but riveting.

Posted by Roger at 6:04 AM
Comments (2)

December 22, 2007

Shadow Warriors

I am about half way through Kenneth Timmerman's Shadow Warriors, which unfortunately has the same title as a Tom Clancy book that it does not resemble in the slightest. Timmerman's book (published in November) is, in essence, an attack on forces within the State Department and the CIA that worked to sabotage the Iraq War from the outset. And, as we have all seen, they did a good job of it.

As for evidence, Timmerman provides plenty of details. How accurate they are, I am in no position to know, but they feel right - at least most of the time. I would not review this book, however, because I do not believe myself to be qualified (as opposed to, say, taking pot shots at Vanessa Redgrave). But I do recommend reading it.

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 4:57 PM
Comments (1)

December 21, 2007

Romney head-to-head

I'm not much for head-to-head polls this far ahead of the election (or even nomination) but Republicans ought to take note of the poor showing of Mitt Romney in this Zogby Poll.

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 9:31 AM
Comments (3)

December 20, 2007

Tales of Old and New Media: Two Roger Simons, Fred Thompson and Hats

It seems I'm the subject of a bit of a brouhaha today. The Roger Simon who writes for The Politico cast some aspersions on the way Fred Thompson donned a fire hat on the campaign trail in Iowa and some people thought this was me (casting the aspersions). Others defended me, saying I would never do something like that.

Can't say. In all honesty, Roger Simon (Politico) is a much more experienced political reporter than I. We're the same age, but he has been doing it for decades. I spent most of those years as a hack in Hollywood because people told me you made more money writing scripts and detective novels than from journalism. (I was a leftie in those days, but, like many lefties, as you may have noticed, had a strong capitalistic streak.) Anyway, came 9/11 and I ended up doing a little opinion writing of my own and (once in a while) some reporting.

I still make no claim to journalistic expertise, but if there's one thing I know about it's hats (see logo above). I bought and tried on many a Borsalino over the years in a vain attempt to brand myself as a detective writer. I've even purchased a fair number of Kangols and various fedoras.

So as a tried and true member of the Hat Squad, and having viewed the video, I can say this: I don't know what the hell the other Roger Simon was talking about.

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 7:29 AM
Comments (9)

December 19, 2007

Will there always be an England?

Most of us remember the famous World War I song. I grew up with it.

There'll always be an England,
And England shall be free
If England means as much to you
As England means to me.

I kept thinking of those lyrics when I read this. Oh, how times have changed.

Posted by Roger at 11:12 PM
Comments (8)

Person of the Year

That dentist's office rag has named its Person of the Year again. Does anybody care? Of course McCain is correct when he says he sees the "KGB" in Putin's eyes. I mean- duh... what else would he see? But in a way I'm glad that Petraeus didn't win. There is another, better prize for him - assuming he would want it.

Posted by Roger at 3:28 PM
Comments (8)

December 18, 2007

Does Bill Want Hill to Be Elected?

Think it about it. It's not simple. What would it really be like to have a First Man or First Laddie or whatever you want to call him in the White House who was once the President himself (and who betrayed the then First Lady, now President, while he himself was in the White House)? Surreal, isn't it? Almost out of an Elizabethan tragedy... Webster or Marlowe.

No wonder Bill, while seeming to be backing Hillary, makes strange blunders. It's as if he is subconsciously out to sabotage his wife.

Meanwhile, think about what happens if she loses. All those years of looking the other way during his multiple philanderings were based on her sucking it up so she would win the prize herself. If she doesn't, how do they look at each other? What happens the day after Hillary loses the nomination?

No one could have made this up.

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 3:32 PM
Comments (11)

Huckabee is funny

He's come up with the best laughs so far of the campaign... maybe the only laughs. Click here for a man with no humor whatsoever.

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 2:38 PM
Comments (2)

December 17, 2007

Fidel may be

... relinquishing power, but I've been clinging to mine at Pajamas Media (among the perks- I am able to order out from the second best pizza place in El Segundo!) so I have been in meetings all day and unable to post on here, even unable to promote myself as I usually do. I wrote today of yet one more person who will soon be crossing me off his Christmas card list - Larry O'Donnell. [You were never on his Christmas card list.-ed. They already know that, smartie pants. And you're off my gift list.]

Had I been blogging today, I would have noted for you the obvious - it's much more fun to be the President of France than to be running for President in the US. [Can you imagine Russ Limbaugh talking about looks?-ed. Where is Dorothy Parker when we need her?]

Posted by Roger at 7:57 PM
Comments (4)

December 16, 2007

Lieberman to Endorse McCain Monday

William Kristol is reporting that today at the Weekly Standard.

What does this mean? Normally, I don't think endorsements add up to much, but Joe Lieberman - the Independent Democrat or whatever - is in an interesting position with Republican voters, particularly in New Hampshire where this endorsement is supposed to be occurring, weather permitting. This could actually have some influence on the NH primary and the resurgent McCain campaign. Given that no one is really catching fire on the Republican side - I take Huckabee as a temporary phenomenon, but I could, as always, be wrong - McCain (who was being dismissed) may now be a force to reckoned with. Also in the Arizona Senator's favor is that he was written off by many some time ago - thus hasn't been in the public eye as much of late. The boredom factor is extremely important in this endless campaign. Now the aging McCain gets to seem like a new thing....

... for a while.

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 12:46 PM
Comments (6)

Library Science: No more Clintons, no more Bushes

These days I'm getting mighty sick of the Divine Right of Kings (or Queens) in our society. The number of families in our body politic is hideously small. These days we can add the Romneys to the short list including Clintons, Bushes, Roosevelts, Kennedys, etc. Who said monarchy is dead? Not in the US of A.

And speaking of monarchies, how about the most nefarious of all - those Sauds who have evidently colluded and bestowed their largess on many of the above? How much and how many of our presidential libraries have been built with Saudi oil money? Would be interesting to know. On this one I'm with Obama who, according to the article just linked, "has made an issue of the large yet unidentified contributors to presidential libraries, saying that he wants to avoid even the appearance of impropriety in such donations. Obama has introduced legislation that would require disclosure of all contributions to presidential libraries, including Clinton's, and Congress has actively debated such a proposal. Unlike campaign donations, money given to presidential libraries is often done with limited or no disclosure."

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 11:57 AM
Comments (6)

December 14, 2007

And the winner gets to be.... President?

I can identify with the ambivalence - assuming he is ambivalent - with which Fred Thompson is being tarred in this campaign, because I imagine the process of running for President is even more humiliating than being a screenwriter. In fact, it is not entirely dissimilar. You have to spend your time nodding politely to idiots and pretending everything they say is important and not to be dismissed - for fear in the candidate's case that they won't get a vote and for the screenwriter that they will be fired (pretty much the same thing.)

Of course for someone running for President it's endless and enervating beyond the worst screenwriter's nightmare, but, again similarly, the audience is easily bored. It's not really surprising that the frontrunners in this election are in trouble. I mean who could put up with the same people for that long? It already seems as if Hillary and Rudy have now been president for a couple of years and we're sick unto death of them, the honeymoon long over. We're now midway into the Huckabee and Obama presidencies. Who's next? I hope not Ron Paul... when it really counts. But who knows?

Nevertheless, whoever gets to be President, gets the booby-prize. Think about this. Back in the deep, dark media ages of 1992, when Clinton-Gore ascended, they partied all night long - and several days thereafter. "Don't stop thinking about tomorrow" was reprised so many times we were longing for the days of the Macarena (or did they come later - but you know what I am).

But the winner in '08 is not in for party time. They can forget about the rock and roll on January 21, 2009. No time for anything remotely that frivolous. Time to get up and look at the daily intelligence briefing (such as it is). Now let's see... who's getting the bomb this week? Egypt? Saudi Arabia? Mozambique?... Where was that suicide explosion? Algeria? Pipe bomb where? What's Russia up to? China? Aren't I supposed to be having fun?... No, sorry, sir or madam, you're the President. No backsies. (Just like Toyota... you asked for it, you've got it.)

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 1:17 PM
Comments (7)

December 13, 2007

Obama and drugs: Hillary goes negative on negative

I had to use that hed, since no one else had.

Apparently La Clintona has promised no more negative campaigning. This after the Political Nudnik of the Year award has gone hands down to her "big-shot New Hampshire supporter Billy Shaheen," who played the "drug use card" yesterday to slime Obama. (Evidently Hillary has apologized.) I would have slimed him with the "banality & cliché card," but no matter. All's well that ends well, as the Bard says.

But speaking of Obama, why don't we get it over with and just put Oprah herself on the ballot? I mean she's got a lot more experience in front of the public than the candidate and her business acumen (and back account) is right up there with Romney's. Besides, no one would have to worry about solving the writers' strike. As president and number one afternoon talk show hostess, television would be "All Oprah All the Time." Good-bye, Big Brother. Hello, Big Sister!

In fact, why bother with elections at all? Oprah for Queen!

Posted by Roger at 12:00 PM
Comments (7)

December 12, 2007

Ike Turner Dies

Look, we all know Ike was a bad guy. He beat Tina and all that and it's inexcusable. But he was a great musician, no doubt about it. In fact, he never got the credit he deserved, undoubtedly in part because of what he did.

I remember once, maybe thirty years ago, walking into a casino in Vegas. Suddenly I heard some fabulous music and quickly left the craps tables for the nearby lounge. To my amazement, it was Ike and Tina with the Ikettes, doing their classics like "I Idolize You." I stood there mesmerized. It was one of the greatest sets I ever heard. And Tina then was about the sexiest woman performer I had ever seen in my life. You know the rest.

Posted by Roger at 9:50 PM
Comments (7)

Gag me with a coke spoon!

The longer this campaign season goes on, the more meretricious it becomes. Now the Clinton folks are about to attack Obama for drug use. Well, gag me with a coke spoon! If this doesn't win the hypocrisy sweepstakes, what does? All they are doing is reminding us of one of Bill's most famous myriad howlers - "I tried it but I didn't inhale" .... right up there with "I didn't have sex with that woman."

Meanwhile, on the Republican side, we have the Penguin March of the Hypocrites - three guys all pretending to be more socially conservative than they are (Giuliani, Romney, Thompson) and a new guy who apparently doesn't believe in evolution, but says that doesn't matter.

Of course on the Dem side we have a guy who says he's seen UFO's (with Shirley MacLaine), so maybe they could work together on a bipartisan ticket.

That's what we want, isn't it, bipartisanship? [Either that or someone qualified to be president.-ed. Don't be greedy. By the way, I've been meaning to ask you, have you ever used drugs? For cholesterol? Don't be smart. Didn't you used to hang out with Timothy Leary? Who?]

Posted by Roger at 3:56 PM
Comments (12)

The Stockholm Syndrome and The Veil

Anyone who doubts the validity of the Stockholm Syndrome, should read the fevered responses to Danielle Crittenden's posts about wearing the veil (a Saudi burka) on the Huffington Post. They are as terrifying as Crittenden is courageous.

Posted by Roger at 7:27 AM
Comments (10)

December 11, 2007

Loose lips sink, etc... (Huckabee/Democrat division)

The Democrats are trying to hold their fire on Mike "Glass Jaw" Huckabee since they think he is a sitting duck in the general election (could be right about that). Meanwhile, one of their "intelligent" operatives leaked it all to the DRUDGE REPORT!!!.

[Well, that takes care of that.-ed. What you said.]

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 2:43 PM
Comments (10)

More Hollywood

With Hanukkah almost over, LA seems headed for a dark Christmas this year with the writers' strike solution apparently nowhere in sight. (These things have a habit of changing on a dime, however.)

My own (ongoing) contribution to the Hollywood Heart of Darkness continues on Pajamas. Meanwhile, Guild members themselves occupy themselves by making parodies of their adversaries. I don't think the level of satire here is na great advertisement for its authors. (It's not The Onion by a long shot.) Nikki Finke feels differently.

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 8:14 AM
Comments (2)

December 10, 2007

The CIA: Hitch is Right

I have to say I agree with Christopher Hitchens' succinct proposal of what to do about the CIA: The system is worse than useless—it's a positive menace. We need to shut the whole thing down and start again.

Of course, that's the easy part... Well, not easy, but easy to say. The more interesting question is how - to start over that is - assuming anybody has the cojones to shut the damn thing down in the first place. I also have to say I'm not optimistic on that score. Langley seems to be a self-perpetuating bureaucracy of immense proportions. And I don't see anyone on the presidential horizon capable of dismantling it. [Maybe Huckabee can pray it away.-ed. I'll help. I thought you were an agnostic.-ed. The situation's getting desperate.]

Posted by Roger at 8:44 PM
Comments (7)

December 9, 2007

Iowa Fatigue

I don't know about the rest of you, but I am sick of Iowa and its citizens - sick of hearing about them, sick of hearing about their visitors, sick of their anointed importance. Who made Iowa God of the Western World? Why Iowa?

I know - it's a traditional part of our system. But like most traditions, it can outlive its usefulness - and this one has. Why not just rotate primary states every four years? It would seem logical, no? And even democratic. But, no, the folks down at Zeek's Coffee Shop on East Main in West Snoops, Iowa have to press the flesh of Sally or Sid Shmerdlap every four years to see if he/she or she/he qualifies to be the savior of Western Civ and heaven help us if this happens in, say, Nebraska instead of Iowa.

Enough of this.

Besides the obvious recommendation above that we start rotating the primary states, there is an even greater spin-off: We wouldn't have to deal with that pompous hypocrite Tom Harkin and his personal cholesterol fest anymore.

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 9:15 AM
Comments (11)

More Academy DVD Mini-Reviews (Watched or Ejected)

Dan in Real Life - Ejected

In The Valley of Elah - Watched (would have Ejected but had to watch for something I'm writing... see Pajamas this week...)

(more to come... I know. You're breathless.)

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 8:27 AM
Comments (0)

December 7, 2007

Welcome to the Plastic Party.

Mitt Romney is one of my least favorite candidates in either party and his speech on religion yesterday underscored that.

Listening to it, I felt left out as a secular person but one who has no interest in a "secular religion." There are obviously many like me. The Anchoress saw the danger in that omission: However the speech was not wholly innocuous. If Romney does manage to become the GOP nominee for president, this will follow him around like a Kindergarten report card:

I believe what he meant to say there, was, "we do not insist on a single strain of religion - or indeed the embrasure of any religion at all - we welcome the dance of faith and reason." Not saying it was a big mistake.

Indeed it was, but it doesn't surprise me. Because more than most politicians, I have the feeling Romney will say anything. That is not just because he changes his opinions with the electoral winds. They all do. It is because I get the sensation there is no there there. There are no core beliefs beneath the necessary prevarications. I sense a void. The only other candidate who gives me that creepy feeling is John Edwards. Edwards-Romney or Romney-Edwards... now there's a thought - the Plastic Party. Their motto (you guessed it): Have a good hair day!

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 11:21 AM
Comments (30)

Dangers of an aging populaton

Two senior moments in one morning.

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 7:28 AM
Comments (1)

December 4, 2007

Iran: Daddy Takes a Hike

It is with some (minor) amusement that I read the NYT article that the IAEA is taking a stronger line on Iran than the new NIE report:

"To be frank, we are more skeptical," a senior official close to the agency said. "We don’t buy the American analysis 100 percent. We are not that generous with Iran."

The official called the American assertion that Iran had "halted" its weapons program in 2003 "somewhat surprising."

Posted by Roger at 10:15 PM
Comments (6)

Bah, Hitchens!

The usually-amusing Senor Hitchens presents us with an interminable history lesson about Hannukah on Slate this morning - "Bah, Hannukah!". His point, I guess, is that the Epicureans were more fun than the Ancient Hebrews.

Maybe. I wasn't there. But where I have been on numerous occasions are Hannukah events and, as a fellow atheist (okay, I'm more of an agnostic - Hitch knows God doesn't exist... I think it's over my head), I will remind him that Hannukah was traditionally a relatively minor holiday in the Jewish calendar that grew in importance mostly in America during the Twentieth Century.

The reason had nothing whatever to do with Hasmoneans, Epicureans, gray-bearded Talmudic scholars, candle oil or anything really religious. It had to do with that immortal triumvirate - children, food and presents!

Christian kids had this great holiday called Christmas and what did the Jewish kids have? Some minor event called Hannukah. Jews built it up, so our families would have celebrations too. Hence, Hannukah crossed the bridge from Brooklyn and menorahs proliferated in Manhattan, much to the joy of Macy's and Gimbal's.

Maybe Hitchens missed this in the UK, a less important Jewish outpost. But he shouldn't be such a Scrooge around Christmas/Hannukah time. What's wrong with a little mythology if it's a good excuse to have a few drinks and exchange gifts? Who knows? They may even include a copy of God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. [Hitchens didn't write that article to sell books, did he? -ed. Nah.]

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 8:31 AM
Comments (14)

Iran: the Mullahs, the CIA and my fraying mystery writers' hat

It's hard to explain the wind shift coming out of our intelligence community regarding Iran. Why the sudden revelation that the Mullahs haven't been pursuing nukes - not since 2003 anyway?

At the same time, or just before, we have had news that the Israelis attacked what has been called a reactor under construction or an actual nuclear weapons assembly plant in Syria - a putative Iran ally. What happened isn't entirely clear, but something did. And no one made much of a squawk, suggesting culpability.

Then Syria turns up at the Annapolis Conference, to the apparent consternation of Iran.

Add into the mix the announcement (by the more or less Shiite Iraqi government, supposedly sympathetic to Iran) that the US will keep upwards of fifty thousand troops on bases in Iraq in close proximity to Iran in perpetuity.

Excuse me if I think there is more here than meets the eye. My old and fraying mystery writer hat tells me some kind of deal was struck.

But then I could be dead wrong. It wouldn't be the first time.... or the hundredth.

UPDATE: Another possibility, suggested by my colleague Jose Guardia, is that this announcement is a ploy to make the mullahs appear weak internally (they don't have the guts to build bomb). This is an interestng theory since Ahmadinejad can scarcely make a public announcement that "We're doing it!"

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 7:39 AM
Comments (9)

December 3, 2007

Fox vs. New York Times: Bias vs. Bias

Dueling headlines tell all (at least about the media outlets involved) about today's news regarding Iran:

The New York Times ...

U. S. Says Iran Ended Atomic Arms Work

Fox News...

Hadley: U.S. Policy Toward Iran Nuclear Weapons Must Continue

To arbitrate between the two "titans" check out the PDF from the actual intelligence published by Fox.

Posted by Roger at 2:13 PM
Comments (6)

Fact-checking myself and others

In the wake of the TNR debacle... some words from the editor of the New York Times... I have some additional words on the subject of fact-checking on Pajamas.

(I reserve the right to amend and extend, of course... in fact, I always do.)

In other news... isn't it scary how close Venezuela came to voting itself a dictator? Well, Russia did. I guess people like rules. Yikes.

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 7:07 AM
Comments (1)

December 2, 2007

Fascism... it's bad and it's...

... back... Or almost.

Aren't you glad you're an American and not a Russian (back) or Venezuelan (almost)... unless you are a Russian or a Venezuelan reading this?

Meanwhile, a lot of people in this country think we're in worse shape than they are. The naivety is extraordinary and so is the campaign rhetoric of our tedious pols. [Are you saying democracy's not so great after all?-ed. No I'm saying it's so great we don't deserve it.]

Posted by Roger L. Simon at 6:51 PM
Comments (1)