Worldview

There's been a lot of talk recently about what Democrats should embrace as their foreign policy and national security policy. My take is that Democrats need to remind people that it was the Truman administration that created the national security framework that won the cold war and beat communism.

Not to be too retro on this, but it's been the Truman internationalism that's led America to greatness and preeminence in the world. The only periods of decline have come as a result of Republican screw-ups.

The Truman internationalism I'm talking about is based on the Truman doctrine (with the support of Kennedy and Johnson's vision) and the Marshall plan. The Marshall Plan could just as fairly have been called the Truman Plan, but they thought it would be an easier sell to the 'do-nothing' Republican Congress with Marshall's name attached.

What did that mean? It meant the support of friendly nations around the world. It meant military cooperation, economic support, and the UN. It meant the long crushing blow that the Soviet Union could not survive.

How does that apply today? First, we need to recognize that Republican incompetence has once again isolated us at a time when we need our friends more than ever. America is alone in the world and reviled by the civilized and uncivilized alike.

How does that make us more secure?

We are in a quagmire of a war with no exit in sight. We are in debt and owe that debt to foreign powers who are not all friendly to us (China, among others).

We are far less secure today than we were on September 11, 2001. I don't think you'd get an argument on that from anyone - including Republicans.

It's a good place to start for Dems, but they can't run on the fact the other guy is so colossally unfit to govern.

Security in the world means security for everyone. If any government feels threatened, they become a threat. That's not to say that pressure need not be exerted on psycho states like North Korea, but it shouldn't be pressure based on a threat of violence. We can see that once that bluff is called, there's no fall-back. The discussion is simply over.

And empty bully talk is all the Neocons have left. They've wrecked all other avenues of influence, including the UN. By sending the malignant John Bolton there, we've neutralized not the UN, but our ability to effectively influence that body. Nice.

Democrats need to get back to the system of alliances and economic policies that created the "American Century."

Reform and victory are possible in the Middle East, but it will come over time and will be won with ploughshares, not swords. The fundamental problem among Arab states is the enforced ignorance of their populations. They know nothing but radical religion, and that's how their dictators like it.

As I said yesterday, the only real "Islamic Fascists" are in Saudi Arabia and the other oil states. There, the elites rule with an iron fist, stifling any notions of democracy or freedom. The on;y means of expression come in participation in radical Islam. The only education is religious education.

They don't have real economies that could benefit from the entreprenurialism of the populace. They are false front states, floating in oil money. They keep the money with the rich few, and the rest get the pablum of religion. They are able to deflect any internal dissent by re-aiming it at Jews and Westerners. Oh, and by their torturing secret police and religious police.

A real solution is a new Marshall plan for the Middle East. Start with the Palestinians, who are the root of the problem. The Us properly helps Israel economically, and should start helping Palestinians. If we created "Enterprise Zones" in Gaza and demanded that they - and their employees - be 100% demilitarized, we could start giving economic hope where none exists.

I thought that was the real (temporary) victory of the Oslo Accords - the economic development that gave Palestinians hope for the future. Arafat and their own bloodthirsty instincts tore it all down, but it was a good effort and something that could be re-started.

For the rest of the region, we could start targeting small non-governmental businesses and throw loans and contracts at them. Raise the bar for the little guy on the 'Arab street' and watch as they realize that participating in the world is a lot more fun than blowing it up.

For the rest of the world, security for the US means having many friends. It means internationalism. We need to re-build our relationships with friends, and approach enemies with an eye toward developing a positive relationship with them. Engage Iran - which desperately wants a dialog with the US - and North Korea.

And rebuild Afghanistan and Iraq. We promised to do that and have failed utterly. I said three years ago that I would not walk the streets of Toronto - one of the most peaceful cities in the world - if the police were not there. Why would anyone even try to build a life or a business in Baghdad with their security situation?

If we put more troops there - yes more - and actually rebuilt the place, we could then draw down and eventually leave. But we can't leave this debacle, nor the one in Afghanistan. 'Stay the course' will only perpetuate the grave errors and get more people killed.

That's a start.

History

There is not a single person on the planet less qualified to talk about the "lessons of history" than Don Rumsfeld. And yet, once again, he offers them as our cat might offer you a dead vole. No, Fluffy; that's not food.

Speaking as much about his own fascist Junta as any Islamic group, he said:

“This is not an enemy that can be ignored, or negotiated with, or appeased,’’ he said. “And every retreat by civilized nations is an invitation to further violence against us. Men who despise freedom will attack freedom in any part of the world, and so responsible nations have a duty to stay on the offensive, together, to remove this threat.”

"Freedom," in this case, being defined as "enforced willingness to take orders from Junta aparatchiks." Because Rumsfeld's version of freedom would not be inclusive of anybody who is, you know, actually free.

The Bushitesclamoramour to line up with the 'thinking' of the administration are "free." Joe Lieberman is free - and soon to be free of a job - because he thinks that what goes on in Iraq has any possible positive purpose or outcome.

Because as much as the Junta wants to think they're fighting WWII, they're clearly not. 'Islamic Fascism' is a myth that they've created for their own political good. The closest thing there is in the world to "Islamic Fascism' is Saudi Arabia. The Junta's closest ally.

The Neocons want you to think it's 1938 again. It's not. Islamic radicalism is a deadly regressive force in the world, but it's not unified and it has no common purpose. Hamas is not Hezbollah, and Hezbollah is not the Sadr Militia.

Saying this is 1938 again is the same as saying that WWII was Anglicanism and the AmerProtestantdtant Churches vs. Lutheranism and the Pope.

And if we're stupid enough to actually believe that, then we're in for an Orwellian perpetual war. Which is a chilling thought that I've posited more than once. What do Cheney and Rumsfeld want? Their vision of America seems to closely resemble the perpetual fear and control machine from 1984.

Certainly their efforts to control all government information and do everything in perfect secrecy has nothing to do with freedom. And less to do with anything but a fascist charictacure of "Freedom."

Fantasy

Did the Fantasy Football draft thing Friday night with Aaron and his buddies in Philly. It's one of those moments when you stop taking the intent for granted, if even for a few minutes. To have the ESPN computers run and track everything while you're chatting live is just too much for an oldie like me.

Anyway, lets examine my drafted NFL bounty. this is in order of position, not where they were drafted:

Expatriate Pats
Owner: Abraham Binder
Abbrev: XPAT
Record: 0-0

STARTERS

SLOT PLAYER, TEAM POS EDIT OPP STATUS PRK PTS AVG LAST PROJ PVO %OWN +/-
QB Tom Brady, NE QB Buf Sun 1:00 - Early pick, but I think a good one. I had him last year as well. Yes, it seems like a total Pats homer pick, but remember: two years ago he led the NFL in TD passes, and last year he led the league in passing yardage.

RB Reggie Bush, NO RB @Cle Sun 1:00 - This was my fist pick, #5 overall. And yes, it was controversial. Trouble was that the likes of LaDanian and Alexander were gone. The sure things at RB were off the board. The clear choice with this pick was Bush or Tiki Barber. And I'm, not a Tiki fan.

I like that Tiki's blossomed as an older player. It's rare to see a guy - especially at RB - go from journeyman third down back to featured MVP candidate at his age. And I think he'll have another good year, as Eli Manning develops and the passing game makes more space for him.
But... Maybe this is the year the wheels come off. He can't go on like this forever. Maybe he'll miss a couple of vitamin supplements or do one of those twin tricks with his brother and have it go horribly wrong and have to leave the country while Ronde laughs at the murder he's gotten away with. Something like that.

So I went with Reggie Bush. Hardly a sure thing, granted. And probably a tad high at #5 overall (the rest of the group sure thought so). But I doubt he'd be around by round 2. And he has a real shot at 2,000 yards, if the Saints OL holds up. He's a special once-in-a-generation player. And if the pick's a little crazy, well, I've been called worse.

RB DeShaun Foster, Car RB Atl Sun 1:00 - I think the Panthers are going to be special again this year, and I know that Foster will be the #1 back as long as he stays healthy. Also, the Panthers like to run draws on third-and-long, and Foster's the best at it.

RB/WR Ahman Green, GB RB Chi Sun 4:15 - more of a gamble here, as Green has been hurt and the OL is just miserable. But Green is the kind of back that can avoid defenders, and if he stays (gets?) healthy he could lead the league in rushing. Also, the defenses are terrible in the division so he should get his yards.

WR Rod Smith, Den WR @StL Sun 1:00 - a solid productive receiver in a good passing attack. A little old, of course, but still some tread on the tire.

WR Derrick Mason, Bal WR @TB Sun 1:00 - his old QB Steve McNair will be starting here, so there's a chance he'll have a big year.

TE Tony Gonzalez, KC TE Cin Sun 1:00 - The #2 receiving TE in the league behind Antonio Gates (and Ben Watson when he gets his shot).

D/ST Patriots D/ST, NE D/ST Buf Sun 1:00 - I forced myself to wait until the 13th round (outof 16) to take this D because they aren't highly rated by the system. Needless to say, I expect them to be the best unit in football.

K Jason Elam, Den K @StL Sun 1:00 - good kicker on a good offense playing in thin air.

BENCH WEEK 1 2005 SEASON 2006 PRESEASON
SLOT PLAYER, TEAM POS

Bench LenDale White, Ten RB NYJ Sun 1:00 - fat lazy rook may have something. Once again, taking a chance on the USC backfield.

Bench David Givens, Ten WR NYJ Sun 1:00 - When he gets healthy he'll be the #1 option on the offense.

Bench Amani Toomer, NYG WR Ind Sun 8:15 - Manning could find him a bunch.

Bench Brett Favre, GB QB Chi Sun 4:15 - Could fill in for a week.

Bench Isaac Bruce, StL WR P Den Sun 1:00 - Could be productive - I seem to have a lot of old WR's.

Bench Dallas Clark, Ind TE @NYG Sun 8:15 - productive TE isn't going to be playing for anybody else, is he?

Bench Roscoe Parrish, Buf WR @NE Sun 1:00 - If the Bills had a QB, this would have been a good pick.

Bench Verron Haynes, Pit RB Mia Thu 8:30 - Parker is fast but slight, and Staley can't seem to stay on the field. Could become the starter...

Bench Marshall Faulk*, StL RB Den Sun 1:00 - season-ending knee surgery last week. Shrewd pick.

Bench Charlie Frye, Cle QB NO Sun 1:00 - Has some targets and a running game - could be a break-out guy.

And that's it. Championship? Championship.

Attack!

The anonymous Republicans are back in the news. You know them - the hideous war-mongering Minotaurs who are allowed to give unattributed - unrebutted - statements to the Washington press corps.

"Godzilla is real," stated the source, who spoke for this article on condition of anonymity because they were lying, "and what are we doing about it? The Pentagon doesn't have any 10-square-mile electrical nets in their inventory. If we wait for Mothra to solve this for us, we'll be smelling burps that taste like Tokyo."

Let's backtrack briefly to the unexamined executive decisions and pronouncements that tragically led us to the Iraq Debacle. CIA and other Intel shops all said the same thing: Iraq is no threat, Iraq had nothing to do with 9-11. The Junta had already decided that they were going to invade Iraq for their own personal reasons, so they applied pressure and cherry-picked the intel.

So anything that was 'beyond grasping at straws' or better was moved to the 'virtual certainty' category. Anything that 'proved conclusively that Iraq was no threat' was moved to the 'crazy guessing communist' category. CIA Director George Tenet, after first pushing for real world solutions, gave up and went along with the game. 'Okay, sure, Iraq, whatever.'

And Rummy set up his own lie-machine intel group in the Pentagon because the other spy groups didn't give him the lies he needed to justify the invasion.

When the whole thing blew up in the faces of the kids they sent over to do their dirty work, they turned the lies around the other way. 'The CIA screwed us up.' Right.

Zoom to now, today. What have we learned from all this? As usual, the Junta has learned nothing - not even new lies.

Some senior Bush administration officials and top Republican lawmakers are voicing anger that American spy agencies have not issued more ominous warnings about the threats that they say Iran presents to the United States.

Right. To them, the problem is not that the intel groups got too political and caved to the bloodthirsty civilians who wanted to trump up a war. The problem was that the intel groups pushed the dovish Bush administration into a stupidly conceived and executed invasion because of the bad info they passed along.

In other words, the narrative is that CIA blew the call to arms, and Georgie was just protectionating the American People when he invaded Iraq. And the corollary to that Big Lie is that the CIA is being too timid now, lest they repeat their mistake.

Some policy makers also said they were displeased that American spy agencies were playing down intelligence reports [...] “The people in the community are unwilling to make judgment calls and don’t know how to link anything together,” one senior United States official said.

This is true Rovian propaganda. There is no evidence that Iran is directly controlliHezbollahlah (of course they're bankrolling them). But we want them to be. Tinteltel agencies say Iran is a decade at least from bomb-making. But our ruling Junta wants them to say that Iranianian bomb imminentant.

So the Rovians go out there and tell any brain-dead reporter they can find that the CIA is soft-soaping the deal. So you don't need ainformation innin order to act. If you can get reports out that the intelligence groups are sitting on information that should lead to a pre-emptive attack on Iran, then you don't need any actual intelligence.

"We're not in a court of law," he said. "When they say there is 'no evidence,' you have to ask them what they mean, what is the meaning of the term 'evidence?'"

Right. Who needs cevidencelaw evedence when you're only going to go kill 30-40,000 people? I mean, you only need "evidence" when you're going to lock someone up for a few months - or even suspend their sentence. But when you're going to bomb and invade and crush and destroy, you don't have to meet such a high standard.

Can we please get adult humans back in our government? These teenage lizard-people are just too much to deal with.

Polls

Wow. Been a while. How's it going?

Okay, new polls out and for the first time - though that seems rather odd - a majority of Americans have broken through the mind-powers of Dr. Rove and the Junta. 51% now believe that the war in Iraq has - wait for it - nothing to do with the war on terror. Criminy. Who stopped drinking the kool-aid?

That's up 10% since June. It's possible - though I'm not sure of the timing of the poll - that the recent London arrests may have hurt the Party of Lies. What I mean is that, after all these years of telling people to be 1) very afraid and 2) trust them to be tough and kill and torture and invade to keep Americans safe, the latest measure of fear may have burst the bubble.

Because many Americans might have gone along with the lawlessness and bloodthirstyness to keep terrorists away. And now they're clearly not away. They are indeed plotting, still, mass murder.

Americans have given Bush their sons, daughters, treasure, and civil liberties in exchange for - what? The Brits making show arrests? The Florida 'terrorist' arrests that look like they caught the cast of "Mad TV?" Please.

Maybe it's time. Maybe now that Georgie's at 36% approval and 57% disapproval people will catch the lies. Maybe people are sick of being scared all the time.

From 9-11 2001 to the ramp-up to war in 2003 to the growing insurgency, this administration has been one catastrophe after the next - nearly all because of their thuggishness and bumbling.

So stop now. Get the teens out of the drivers seat. They just drove the new Yaris over ten miles of back country until the wheels are falling off and your spine has popped out your ears. They're still driving and looking at the next ten miles.

People are starting to realize that it's time to take the keys from them.

JonBenet

Apparently, they've caught the hideous humanoform monster that killed 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey. I wasn't going to write about this, but then I started wondering: why did I read all those stories over the years? Why did I read the story this morning? Why is the picture of this murderous animal on the front page of the NYT website?

I mean, if I'm too good to write about this, why isn't anyone else?

There are a few reasons that this story has been compelling over the decade that it's been in and out of the news. First is the wacky name they gave the kid. "JonBenet?" Please. Next is the child's life as a 'beauty queen.' Right. You've seen the bizarro video of the poor kid dancing like a trained bear. It's pathetic. It shined the spotlight on all those parents who force their kids to be sideshow acts.

It was also over-the-top sick to think that the parents were involved in the child's death. Especially since there was evidence of sexual assault. Those allegations chased the mother, Patsy Ramsey, to her death last June.

At the time of her death CNN showed some of their old coverage of the story, including a joint appearance of the prosecutor and the Ramsey couple on Larry King. They went back and forth, with the clear onus on the Ramsey's to make a case for their innocence.

A new DA took over the case in the past few years and the result we see today: the murdering pedophile has been caught - in Thailand. Early reports said he was under some sort of accusation of sexual misconduct in that country. Think about it - how bad an Orc do you have to be for the world's brothel state to want to arrest you for sexual misconduct?

Apparently, Patsy know before her death that they were close to an arrest, which is comforting to think. Now that we know the truth - and apparently there is a clear confession of guilt in the case - we must look back and wonder at the Costco-sized bag of hell the authorities and national media opened for this family.

The other angle of this case is the disturbing 'cute white person' angle of the coverage. You don't see any of the missing or murdered children of colour on the national news. There are no 'runaway brides' of Indian or African descent leading the CNN headlines.

I'll be very glad to see the end of this case. The only good that can possibly come of this is if it helps increase the penalties and controls on child rapists (I don't think the word 'pedophile' really captures the crime). They should get mandatory life sentences without parole.

Lebanon

There are two somewhat different takes on the lull in flattening Southern Lebanon (I mean, certainly it is a cease-fire, but I doubt an end to the conflict is near). First, Anthony Shadid reports for the Washington Post that Hezbollah is the whackest relief force since the Rescue Rangers. They're all over the place, busting relief moves, clearing rubble, and getting ready to dole out $150 million from Iran.

The people, they love them their Hezzy relief dudes, and they'll say it LOUD and PROUD. Of course, the presence of Hezbollah fighters playing relief worker during all the interviews made no difference to the answers they gave.

Sure. Hey, nice bulldozer! Nice RPG! We love you guys!

Meanwhile, the Globe and Mail managed to get a few interviews out of earshot from the Hezbollah "relief workers." Their piece on the relief effort: Relief gives way to rage for Lebanese villagers. Hmmm

Apparently, there are plenty of southern Lebanese people who question whether Hezbollah was working entirely in their best interests when they drew Israeli fire on the region.

Anger rising, Mr. Arbid launched into a string of unprintable curses aimed at both Israel and Hezbollah.

"For me, Israel and Hezbollah are the same. I just want to live in peace, and to collect some money," he said. Despite Hezbollah's propaganda, there was no victory for the Lebanese people to celebrate, he said. "I can't explain how it feels. I'm so sad, I'm so depressed."

I'm reading quite a bit of Hezbollah triumphalism these days. It's as though the media is uncritically printing somebody's 'talking points.' They would never do that, though, would they?

The expectation was that if Hezbollah put up a decent fight and didn't disintegrate in the face of Israeli arms, it would be a victory for them. So, in doing just that, they must have won, right?

But when you pick a fight with the toughest kid in school and get your butt kicked all over the place, the fact that you still have a tooth in your head is a pyrrhic victory at best. Okay, you took your lumps, but the other pencil-necks on the playground will not be singing your praises if you get their butts kicked as well.

So before we hand Hezbollah the trophy on this one, let's look at the real results - the results the Lebanese people will have to live with for a very long time. Hezbollah became a darling of the Arab world because they fought Israel and because they launched hundreds of rockets at Israeli civilians - even while combating soldiers.

That gives them an open lunch date in Tehran and Cairo and Gaza, but for the human shield that got more than a few dents, I think they'll be less than fully welcome.

I'll believe that the cease-fire has some staying power when the Lebanese Army actually moves into the region, and when Hezbollah moves out. Until then, it's just a breather to re-arm, and all those civilians who rushed back to their broken homes will likely be rushing right back out again.

Hezbollah will not be able to hold back - they'll attack again and Israel will retaliate.

Party

Go read E.J. Dionne. He has it right: Democrats must start organizing like Republicans.

Too many Dems (myself included) have thought: "the truth shall set me free" for too many years. The truth - objectively, scientifically, and morally - is with the Dems. Republicans erect one facade after the next to make objectionable idiocy sound good to the Red-State masses. Surely, just being right where they are disasteriously wrong is enough. Isn't it?

Absolutely not. Repubs could sell sea water on Gilligans Island. They've proven time and again that they have no shame and no patriotism. They will use 9-11 and any other national tragedy to sell their political sewage to the people. Dems can't just point and say: "that's crap."

The crap salesmen are too good for that. They know going into a campaign that they are telling lies. And they know that they'll get away with it.

Because if their politicians and thousands of their loyalists on the ground and virtually the entire Washington press corps insist rudely that the lies are truth, a polite insistance of the truth won't work.

Dems need to drop the gloves. And they need to stop being a series of ad-hoc committees for or against issues. They need to be a party. Howard Dean is right to build a 50-state plan. If you give up on Alabama, you will never win there at any level.

And no state is out of reach - becaeuse for any political affiliation, the truth - if you fight for it - will set everyone free.

Patriots

The New England Patriots play their first pre-season game tonight - and it's on TV. I've not yet made the NFL Sunday Ticket plunge, so I'm closely monitoring the team's appearances on a national stage.

One of the big stories in this camp is the supposed lack of depth at LB, especially with the pre-season ending injury to Tedy Bruschi. People are concerned, as they have a right to be. But I don't think it's going to be a problem.

Last year, with Bruschi out with a bruised brain and Ted Johnson deciding that his body was sufficiently mashed and twisted for a lifetime, they started the season with Monty Beisel and Chad Brown at ILB. And it was a disaster.

Brown was a career OLB who had started out in the 3-4 at Pittsburgh but had spent the past few years playing the 4-3 in Seattle. Beisel was a 4-3 MLB with Kansas City - not a defense renown for its ability to stop anything at any time. Plus, 4-3 MLB's are smaller, quicker guys who are protected by two big DT's. They are expected to run and cover.

3-4 ILB's stand behind one NT. They are expected to be able to take on OG's head-up and be physical all over the field. Beisel came in about 15 lighter than most ILB's. Neither player knew the system. And the NT in front of them, Vince Wilfork, had what he admitted to be a slow start to the year.

The defense righted itself mid-year, as Wilfork played better and Bruschi returned and was joined by Mike Vrable (who normally played OLB).

Now we're back to Beisel and some other guy in the middle.

Remember, though, that Beisel has a year in the system now, and was tabbed by Belichick to be a starter along with Bruschi. I think he'll hold up, especially if Wilfork can play well from the get-go.

Eight-year guy Barry Gardner will start next to him. Gardner has had a good camp, and is looking to expand on his special-teams duties. They've also got Corey Mays and Freddie Roach (can you picture Roach playing alongside Bruschi? Party!).

Okay, none of these guys (or the returning Chad Brown) is Dick Butkus. Or Ray Lewis. Or even Steve Nelson. But nobody was doing cartwheels when we signed Mike Vrable a few years ago, either. Vrable was considered a try-hard journeyman who the Steelers didn't want to pay.

And Bruschi wasn't a prospect for the Pro Bowl until Belichick got a hold of him in 2001. Bill's not the kind of coach to make the same mistake twice. I'm sure he learned his lesson last year, and has the guys to run his defense.

None of the roster LB's are under 240 lbs (except Don Davis who also plays safety). Nobody is walking out of camp. They will be physical and they won't get run over.

And for the speculation that they might switch to the 4-3 to take advantage of their wealth of talent at DL, don't bet on it. The 3-4 is hard to learn, and mixing in 4-3 plays will be particularly confusing the LB's, who have to play 180-degrees differently in each scheme.

As for tonight, be sure to watch the start of the game. Tom Brady and Mike Vick will play one series, if that. Most of the starters will run out on the field and run right off. The first preseason game is for the kids. It's the coaches' best evaluating tool for the first round of cuts. It's the game for the marginal guys to show something (which they usually do not).

So sit back with a cool one and enjoy. The only thing to really root for is that there are no injuries.

Khan!!!!

There's a political storm brewing in Canada, and it's centered around my neighborhood. My local MP, Wajid Khan, has been asked by PM Harper to be his special advisor on the middle east. Khan is a Muslim who denounces jihad-ism and murder and all those things. Good for him.

Khan is also a Liberal. That's capital-L Liberal, as in Liberal Party of Canada.

He's said he won't cross the aisle and join the Conservative Party, and he got the go-ahead from temporary party leader Bill Graham. But there's a problem.

Toronto Liberal MP Maria Minna circulated a memo denouncing Khan's move.

“Wajid's appointment is a slick, sick, calculated move on Harper's part. Liberals shouldn't touch this thing with a 10-foot pole,” she wrote. “Wajid should have known that he was playing into the hands of the Conservatives and [Interim Leader] Bill Graham should have said NO.”

I think she's dead-on. Harper is eating it in the polls, pardue toueto his ham-handed response to the Middle East. Conservatives have gone from dreaming of a majority government to hanging on for dear life. So why is a Liberal MP giving them a lift?

Politics is about politics. The Conservative Party exists as a political entity to control Canada. They do that by convincing voters that they have superior knowledge judgmentment on the matters that are important. Matters like war and peace in the Middle East, where Canadian soldiers act as UN peace keepers in Israel (Golan Heights) and combatants (where Canadians continue to fight and die in Afghanistan).

The Liberals exist for the same reason, with a different set of goals, assets, and methodologies.

One of the Liberal Party's assets is it's racial and cultural inclusiveness. When the PC Party sold its soul to join the Alliance, they joined an American-style far right group where people like Wajid Kahn are not welcome. That's just how it is.

So now, for them to co-opt Kahn - for lack of their own Khan - is good politics for them and bad politics for the Liberals. There's a reason the Liberal Party has a Khan and the Conservative Party does not. For Khan to give his services to the Conservatives is to obscure that distinction to voters.

It's not like Khan is the only Muslim or Middle East expert in Canada. There are lots of people - scholars, civil servants, community leaders - who could serve in that role. Harper didn't need an expert - he needed political coverage.

And Khan has given it to him.

So the choice for Wajid is simple: be a Liberal or be a Conservative. That's it.

Lamont!

It's Ned! Mr. Lamont is now the Democratic Party candidate for Senate in the great state of Connecticut. Huh.

I've wondered before about the wisdom of putting so much money and emphasis on this race, but I guess the results make it all worth it. Lieberman has proven to be, well, not a Democrat in the past.

We've gone over the issues. I'll be happier in November when we're celebrating a series of victories over actual Republicans.

And I'm not all that surprised that Lieberman is going to run as an "independent Democrat." He's been in the Senate for 18 years, and that's a hard habit to break. Incumbant senators are not supposed to lose primaries.

But Lieberman has become the bellwether of a new fighting spirit among progressives. We're sick and tired of being pushed around by the extreme right. The Rightists are bellicose and belligerent and they lie and cheat and steal. And Lieberman has greased the skids for them at every turn.

We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it any more.

Saban

Michael Wilbon says Fins coach Nick Saban was "dumb" and "arrogant" for turning down a dinner invitation from President Georgie. He thinks it was apolitical - Saban just puts football before everything else in the world.

It's an amusing article, and worth a read, but I think Wilbon got it all wrong.

My first thought when I read about the refused invitation was that Saban, like all non-braindead Americans, can't stand Georgie. But he was smart enough not to say it and get Dixie Chicked.

Recall that the Dixie Chix came out against Georgie way before it was okay to do so. We forget about it, conveniently, but there was a time at the height of the build-up to the Iraq invasion when it was not allowable to criticize Georgie. You just couldn't do it. The Boy King was untouchable.

Repubs had the country twisted in a knot. Political criticism was treason. And Democrats went along with it.

So Nick was being smart. There was no escape from this dinner invitation, no way to go and remain non-political. No way to say: "I don't support this guy and I don't want to eat with him" without becoming the target of the fascist right.

So he said he was too busy. He gets to just be the coach of the Dolphins, not a political cause.

It says something about where the Junta has taken political discourse in the country.

Finally, Football

Acceptance is one of those stages of grief, and I may well have reached it with my dear United States. Nothing will change there until the soulless barbarians are driven out. Certainly, nothing will happen until the Do-Nothing Congress gets tossed out in November.

So, on the the good news: NFL training camp is here. It's about time.

Let me kick off my extensive and exclusive football coverage for 2006 with an observation about some of this year's head coaching hires. As in: what the hell?

It used to be (curmudgeon alert) that NFL head coaches came from one of the following three groups:

1) Former NFL Head Coach (Retread).

2) Former College Head Coach (must have won a national championship).

3) Top Offensive or Defensive Coordinator (must have either won a Super Bowl or led the league in offense/defense).

This year, we have a few new coaches with the proper pedigree, and a few curiously without.

Among those who qualify is Art Shell, Hall of Fame tackle and former Raiders head coach. Shell was a winning coach in his first tour with the team, and gets to see if he can repeat that success with this Katrina of a roster. Good luck, Art.

Shell actually represents another old-time head coaching group which is rarely seen today (in the NFL): the former-great player. Like Bart Starr and Forest Gregg before him, Shell was an all-timer as a player who got a shot at the HC job. This is still quite common in the NBA and, I believe, in MLB and hockey, but hasn't happened in the NFL in a while.

In fact, the former players who've made it to the HC ranks were the nondescript try-hard types as players: Tony Dungy, Bill Cowher, Jack Del Rio, Jim Haslett (former Saints guy), Herm Edwards, and Mike Tice (former Vikings guy).

You won't see any of their busts in Canton, but they were the kind of players who needed to understand the game in order to play it for a living, and all those guys had long and undistinguished careers.

Back to the brief list of the new and able: Garry Kubiak in Houston was offensive coordinator for two Denver Super Bowl champs. Sure, he was a proxy coordinator for an offensive-minded HC, and it's been a while since his offenses sniffed anything like the Super Bowl air (coincidentally since Elway wore the Horsie), but at least he has the skins on the wall.

Herm Edwards comes to KC as a Retread, but was one of the original non-qualified guys who had some marginal success and opened the door for others. When the Jets hired him as Head Coach, Herm had never even served as a coordinator. A couple of marginal seasons in NY, and he's a hot property. Go figure.

Dick Jauron is another Retread in Buffalo. He was Coach of the Year in Chicago in 2001. He was a Defensive Coordinator before that, but never for a champion. Still, his Retread qualifications are solid.

The last qualified guy is Brad Childress, new guy in Minny and former Eagles OC. Once again, he was an OC for an offensive HC (Andy Reid), but at least he was a Coordinator and did get the team to a Super Bowl (loss). You have to wonder, though, about what he's going to run in Minny. The Eagles offense is built around the talents of Donovan McNabb, who will not be putting any horns on his head this Fall. The Eagles run a bizarro version of the West Coach offense, where the RB is a receiving threat and the running game is a second thought.

Whatever.

But who are these guys and how did they get HC jobs?

1) Scott Linehan, Rams.

2) Eric Mangini, Jets.

3) Mike McCarthy, Packers.

4) Sean Payton, Saints.

5) Rod Marinelli, Lions.

Seriously. Linehan was OC for a couple of crappy offenses in the past few years. Miami? Please. McCarthy was a QB coach that Favre liked. Mangini was DC for the Pats for one year - in which their defense took a step back and they didn't win a Super Bowl. Peyton was in Bill Parcelles' dog house in Dallas. Marinelli has never been more than a DL coach at this level.

It may have been Edwards' performance in New York, or positive results from the under-qualified Jack Del Rio in Jax, or similar results from non-qualified Jim More in Atlanta, or the very odd favorable press that non-qualified Mike Nolan gets in SF, but for some reason teams are digging down to the next strata for coaching talent.

It may be the money. Top coaching guys like Nick Saban in Miami (former college National Champion) get big bucks. And they want control - it's easier for the GM to control a guy like Linehan who would have trouble finding even a coordinator gig if he got canned.

Whatever it is, I think these teams have topped themselves out at about 7-9 for the foreseeable future. The NFL is competition on Growth Hormone. The coaches who have made their careers by succeeding at every level are ready to move up. Those who haven't are, by definition, not ready.

Who's Winning?

Okay, football for sure today, I promise, but first go read this. It questions some of the reporting that's been in the MSM concerning the war in the Middle East. Oops - got to be more specific. The war in Lebanon.

The short version is that for all the people saying Israel is being disproportionate and shouldn't have just used air power and on and on, what was the alternative? Air power has led to the deaths of 600 civilians - tragic to be sure. But would that number have been lower in a full ground invasion? Hard to believe that one. So what were they to do?

Thus Israel in theory is granted the right to use force in self defense and yet any actual use of that force is ruled unacceptable, at least by the chattering classes. It is as if war can be condoned as a chess game but not as an actuality.

Exactly. And what is being accomplished? My guess is that Israel is watching for rocket launches and attacking the launch point by air. And since Hezbullah is using the remaining population as human shields, the results are often bloody.

So what's being accomplished is the military degradation of a very large terrorist organization. And that's a good thing - though civilian casualties are never a good thing.

Once again, to my one reader out there, don't follow the MSM and Europe down the wobbly path. Just because Georgie and Condo are sitting this one out doesn't make it a bad thing.