There are about 5 things I want to write about, maybe I'll have the time to get to some of them this weekend-- Iraq, the NIE (though Dan has a nice post on it), what in the world was Musharaf doing on the Daily Show....But, I can't resist yet another Defense Spending post....This one from the F-22 files (and yes, its also an excuse to post a cool picture).Congress just voted to buy way more planes than the Administration wants, adding Billions...

Steven Taylor approving quotes James Joyner's dismissal of the ruckus over the NIE:One would be remiss for failing to note that these are the same intelligence agencies who failed to predict the Iranian Revolution, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the war in the Balkans, Pakistan’s acquisition of nuclear weapons, North Korea’s acquisition of nuclear weapons, the 9/11 attacks, London bombings, Madrid bombings, and other major events. Or that...

President Bush, September 15, 2006: THE PRESIDENT: This debate is occurring because of the Supreme Court's ruling that said that we must conduct ourselves under the Common Article III of the Geneva Convention. And that Common Article III says that there will be no outrages upon human dignity. It's very vague. What does that mean, "outrages upon human dignity"? That's a statement that is wide open to interpretation.U.S. National Security...

I would be remiss if I failed to link to Rob Farley's interesting post on Chinese military procurement strategy. The Chinese, according to Defense News, have been testing a ground-based laser designed to temporary "bind" US satellites. Rob argues that this fits the Chinese strategy of developing capabilities designed to fight an asymmetric war against the United States.China's defense procurement, by and large, does not seem driven by this...

Shorter Victor Davis Hanson: "Iraq and Afghanistan are both in terrible shape. This clearly vindicates the Republican position on unilateralism and, in consequence, undermines Democratic complaints about Bush foreign policy."As we reflect on this particular rhetorical gem, let me stress that I don't think there is anything wrong with criticizing the lack of clear Democratic policies on Iraq and Afghanistan. But our current administration just...

"Basques," according to Stephen Oppenheimer in the October issue of Prospect.Yet there is no agreement among historians or archaeologists on the meaning of the words "Celtic" or "Anglo-Saxon." What is more, new evidence from genetic analysis (see note below) indicates that the Anglo-Saxons and Celts, to the extent that they can be defined genetically, were both small immigrant minorities. Neither group had much more impact on the British Isles...

I know book endorsements, even from respected figures, have become the equivalent of "chilling... exciting... suspenseful", but there's got to be a limit.Paul Kennedy on Max Boot's new book:“While much has been in written in recent years about the so-called ‘Revolution in Military Affairs,’ Max Boot is the first scholar to place it within the broad sweep of history, and in the context of the rise of the West in world affairs since 1500. In so...

Yes, the war in Iraq is tied to the problem of transnational terrorism that America experienced on 9/11. The Iraq war has increased the threat of transnational terror -- and this is the "consensus view of the 16 disparate spy services" in the US. From the NY Times, to be published September 24:A stark assessment of terrorism trends by American intelligence agencies has found that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a...

This week: Michelle Malkin and her distaste for those who violate the due process rights of accused terrorists. No, I'm not kidding.It is remarkable that some simply can't see the parallel between the case that has Malkin up in arms and the debate over detainees in Cuba. For Malkin, the former is an example of a principled human rights case while the latter an example of anti-American-liberals who want to free terrorists. Guess the identity of...

Question of the day: are we winning?Answer:Asked point-blank whether the United States is winning in Iraq, Abizaid replied: "Given unlimited time and unlimited support, we're winning the war."In other words--no. We don't have unlimited time, and its rather clear that the Administration hasn't offered unlimited resources to its Commanders in Iraq. We've never been close to 200,000 troops in-country. Though....The general's comments effectively...