Of a problem that is, in the long run, probably not the one they should be focusing on. I guess we can look forward to a skinnier, healthier Europe folding to the tides of time.

Eric Egland lays out Six Steps to Victory in Iraq. Hat-tip: Powerline

U.S. forces need to reduce the predictability of their movements. To do this, generals in Baghdad should stop requiring units to report the number of patrols conducted, and instead focus on effective offensive operations. The current emphasis on gauging unit effectiveness by the quantity of patrols conducted keeps the troops too busy to conduct quality operations that offensively hunt the enemy.

Click to continue »

So I sent my former Congressman Phil Gingrey (R-GA11) a note urging him to support Mike Pence for Minority Leader. I say “former” because I was gerrymandered out of the 11th and into the 13th last session which is represented by Democrat David Scott. This was his response:

Thank you for contacting me in regards to the House Republican leadership elections. I appreciate the opportunity to learn of and respond to your views on this matter.

I believe that this decision is crucial in reaffirming our commitment as a party to less government, traditional family values, and a strong national defense. The next leaders of the House Republicans will have a responsibility to unify our conference and convince conservative democrats to join us in defense of these principles.

Like you, I believe this decision must be made with great deliberation. Therefore, I have joined with most of my colleagues in supporting an election date later than November 15th. While we needed additional time to consider who will be best to lead our conference, we cannot wait too long because we need our team in place to serve as a check to the democrat leadership.

With regard to the candidates for House leadership, rest assured that I will give each individual running due consideration. I have approached this election with an open mind and a very strong desire to see leaders elected who will defend our conservative values and principles and set forth a plan to enact these principles. I feel very confident that House Republicans will make the best and most informed choice in whomever they choose for their leaders because we all recognize that the American people depend upon us to keep taxes low, keep government small, keep America safe, and keep the democrats in check.

This is the kind of the non-committal answers I have received from Gingrey in the past. I am disappointed because I believe he will ultimately support Boehner for Minority Leader.

Apparently banning smoking in government buildings and property isn’t enough. Neither is banning it on public property, such as parks and roads. Nope, the city of Belmont, California, will be the first city to completely and entirely ban smoking with one minute exception of “single-family detached residences.” What does that mean, in a cave remote from any other humans or living species for that matter?

Belmont is set to make history by becoming the first city in the nation to ban smoking on its streets and almost everywhere else.

The Belmont City Council voted unanimously last night to pursue a strict law that will prohibit smoking anywhere in the city except for single-family detached residences. Smoking on the street, in a park and even in one’s car will become illegal and police would have the option of handing out tickets if they catch someone.

The actual language of the law still needs to be drafted and will likely come back to the council either in December or early next year.

“We have a tremendous opportunity here. We need to pass as stringent a law as we can, I would like to make it illegal,” said Councilman Dave Warden. “What if every city did this, image how many lives would be saved? If we can do one little thing here at this level it will matter.”

Heaven forbid citizens of this country chose what to do with their own bodies (and lefty trolls, this is not an invitation to ramble about a woman’s abortion of another human being - totally different line of thought). Heaven forbid a private bar or restaurant owner make his own decision about whether he will allow smoking or not. Who wants to make a journey to Belmont, California, and walk around smoking a cigar with me? The first police officer who gives me a ticket gets an earful.

H/T to Drudge.

Screw you.

Not content with merely be in the minority for the 110th Congress the GOP feels compelled to legislate during its lame duck seesion of the 109th Congress as if the Democrats were already in the majority!

The vote which would have normalized trade relations with Vietnam failed yesterday 228-161. Wait, 228-161 sounds like a majority, so how did it fail? The current Republican leadership in their wisdom hoped to push the bill through without any debate so they altered the rules thusly, with the caveat that a 2/3s majority would be required for passage.

The sheer incompetance of this hurts to fathom. How could the GOP leadership not know that 66 members of its own caucus would vote against this bill? Well maybe they did know and were against the legislation the whole time.

Free trade is one of those policies that the GOP was elected to enact. In addition to the economic downside that we now face our loss of face in Vietnam and the rest of East Asia is going to cost us in the future as we go toe to toe with China.

If any further proof is needed to show that Boehner and Blunt are part of the problem facing the GOP this little episode just provided it.

UPDATE: Their will be another vote today with debate and an outright majority will see the that the legislation passes. I am confident that the measure will pass, but not very confident in how the House has handled it thus far.

Mississippi Senator Trent Lott re-enters leadership as new Minority Whip.

Ralph Peters of the New York Post is saying what everyone already knows is fundementally true about our problems in Iraq.

With Iraqi society decomposing - or, at best, reverting to a medieval state with cell phones - the debate in Washington over whether to try to save the day by deploying more troops or withdrawing some is of secondary relevance.

What really matters is what our forces are ordered - and permitted - to do. With political correctness permeating our government and even the upper echelons of the military, we never tried the one technique that has a solid track record of defeating insurgents if applied consistently: the rigorous imposition of public order.

That means killing the bad guys. Not winning their hearts and minds, placating them or bringing them into the government. Killing them.

Let’s forget about Iraq for a second. Whether or not we win or lose there is not nearly as important as this issue we now face: The most powerful military in the history of civilization is unable to defeat a ragtag bunch of insurgents because they lack the will to effectively kill them. This is a problem that is going to haunt us for decades, long after everyone forgets about Iraq.

Hat-tip: Instapundit

Not exactly the person I would endorse.

The Republican Study Committee has a nice, complete list of all the candidates for the GOP Leadership positions to be voted on this Thursday in the House of Representatives. It has every candidate’s press release or whatnot advertising their talking points, and also notes which Representatives are members of the RSC.

Mike Pence, who supported some form of amnesty this last year, has reversed his position and now says that he would support Jon Kyl’s planned filibuster of such an amnesty plan in the Senate.

This was the one weak plank in Pence’s platform for leadership and now that it is no longer an issue I think you’ll see even more conservatives flock to his banner.

Link: The Corner

North Korea for years openly attempted to become a nuclear power. Earlier this year they appeared to have accomplished just that. Our response was bold and sent a powerful message: please return to the “Six Party Talks” and tell us one more time how you are going to ignore our pleadings.

Now Iran is on the verge of a major nuclear breakthrough and our response will be . . .?

The GOP seems determined to ignore their base. The Club for Growth has a nice post on the decision of the House GOP leadership pushing multiple new high spending bills during their lame duck session.

They have also decided to tackle a serious issue that is facing this nation . . . underage drinking! I deeply despise these people.

Ceteris paribus the GOP will lean left it seems. They just lost an election because of this dishonest behavior and learned nothing . . .

Filed under the “It could be worse, it could be Europe” label comes news that the Church of England has quasi-endorsed child murder. This is not hyperbole, certain physicians (do no harm) and ethics groups around the world want doctors to have the right to murder infants that they do not believe deserve to live. Men who think this way are monsters.

I will remember the moment that my pro-life convictions began to firm, when a feminist friend of mine in college defended a practice she called “post-term abortion”, the murder of a child after it had been born. I was disgusted, but assumed that even our culture of death would never go that far. Now I’m not so sure.

Bob Novak does not like our chances.

Rubin must really hate Hillary to try and scuttle her presidential aspirations like this.

Register now for CPAC 2007, at 2006 prices!

Haha, if Dick Cheney were to actually show up!!! The nerve.

UPDATE: CPAC is also an informal Save the GOP reunion every year (sans me), so if you want to meet Mark or Alex, and maybe get a chance to touch them….

I think we can expect to get this a lot from the administration the next two years. Oh well.

Excellent video, which I gleaned from the Club For Growth page (where else?):

And I agree with Andy Roth, the use of “Baba O’Riley” really helps make the video.

According to Joseph McCarthy, the cure to what ails the GOP is pork, and lots of it. While Americans are forced to close their small businesses because of overregulation and taxation, we need to make sure K Street lobbyists get a fair shake at our tax dollars. Democrat operative Ross Baker has all of the answers in his book.