Free Republic

It’s increasingly hard to see how the war on terror ends well. The current line is that we can’t attack Iran because that’s exactly what the mullahs want — which translates into a free pass for them to do whatever they want to do. Steyn’s reporting on these hostages pretty well confirms the absence of Western will to self-defense. Looks like Iran is now the world’s only superpower.

Me too and I don’t recall Crist the candidate ever campaigning on the theme that he was going to be Florida’s version of Arnold.

"That comparison -- Quayle/Gore-- is pretty lame"

No kidding - and the hatred of Dan Quayle on a conservative board is amazing. What I remember most about Quayle is that if Bush 41 had listened to him he'd probably have won re-election and we'd have been spared 8 years of Bill Clinton. And now to learn that so many Free Republic posters really agreed with their counterparts on Democratic Underground. Amazing - wonder what else we'll discover they admire about DU in the future?

worst you've ever seen? how does Urban's decision to fake punt on fourth and ten from his own 20 when the Gators were already reeling from blowing a 17-0 lead to 21 straight Arkansas points? Oh I forgot - the fake punt worked so that makes Meyer a Genius.

Also liked Urban's sideline decision making -- waste an important time-out to consider a fourth and short play-call and then punt anyway. yep - genius material -- not like Zook at all.

The Zook-bashers are just amazing in their ability to obsess on the former coach. All the guy did was recruit most of the players who won both of Florida's national championships.

Yes it is a pretty good first year -- the Rex-bashers are morons. The Bears lost this game because their defense was terrible and so was their offensive line.

Too bad for Rex that the Colts' defense wasn't as accommodating as the Bears' was to Indy. The announcers even finally pointed out how far off the line the Bears' defenders were - enabling Peyton to stack up free completions. Grossman could have had an impressive night too if the Colts had used Chicago's scheme.

from National Review's "The Corner" today

Bush's Bull Market [Larry Kudlow]

On a day when the GDP report came in strong, and the Federal Reserve backed off a bit from its inflation worries to proclaim a balanced economy with growth and contained prices, President George W. Bush became only the 2nd sitting American president to visit the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

As he moved from trading post to trading post, all the floor brokers and their assistants stopped work and started cheering and applauding.

And I mean loud applause and huge cheers.

This is a guy the mainstream media just loves to kick around. This is a guy still battling it out over Iraqi freedom, but subject to sinking polls.

But this is a guy with more character and more faith than almost anyone else in public life.

The last time he was in downtown New York was just after September 11th, when everything was devastated, including the NYSE. Now, more than five years later, Mr. Bush went back to downtown New York with a record-breaking stock market and a strong economic recovery.

That’s why there was loud cheering and strong applause.

01/31 03:39 PM

Disagree -- tax cuts are inherently anti-inflationary. They do not increase the money supply - they simply transfer resources from the wasteful, inefficient public sector to the much less wasteful, much more efficient and productive private sector. Thus tax cuts make the economy more efficient. The text book definition of efficiency says it is increased when outputs from a system (in this case, our economy) are increased relative to the inputs. As you noted, inflation is defined as too many dollars chasing too few goods and services. Tax cuts increase the outputs of the economy and thus are a perfect policy response to the problem of inflation.

Mark [Steyn] will be taking part in the documentary One Nation Under God on Fox News tonight[Saturday the 16th] at 12 midnight Eastern/9pm Pacific, repeated tomorrow at 4pm Eastern/1pm Pacific

...and of course, Milton Friedman, who just died recently, advised Pinochet's government on economic policy - another reason for Chileans to consider the general a positive experience for their country.

Yes, I believe Jeane Kirkpatrick's most important work was her essay on authoritarians vs. dictatorships which noted important differences between the Pinochets and the Stalins of the world.

And here's Mark Steyn on Pinochet, essentially re-making one of her main points:

"As for General Pinochet, if there's a lesson in all of this it's that dictators should kill more people rather than fewer. His was a benign enough regime to permit thousands of Left-wing opponents to flee the country and form a vocal international opposition that made him, in the UN General Assembly and elsewhere, the poster boy for Right-wing bastards and a cause celebre in the drawing rooms of the West. The tragedy is that, in Chile's transition to democracy, the General has done more for human rights and global democracy than the entire posturing body of international law."

..."he was a gracious and kind person with a wonderful sense of humor."

That's what always struck me about him. In addition to his intellectual brilliance, he always seemed to radiate a kindness and 'just-plain-niceness' that I found touching.

"On that last, note that the American people never responded to the Dems' and MSM's repeated demands to film flag-draped coffins returning to Dover. Patriots understood their motive: portray the fallen as victims, symbols of the folly of war."

Yes - the MSM are anxious to show nightly footage of coffins returning to Dover because that suits their political aims; they are determined never to show video of the people jumping from 95th story windows of the WTC, for the same reason.

Over on NRO's "The Corner", Lawrence Kudlow notes that TradeSports.com now shows a big GOP gain in the Congressional elections.

ping list

"As if money were no object."

It damn well BETTER be no object if we're to defend ourselves against the Islamofascists. I can see the future history books now --- "America would like to have defended her civilization from destruction but, unfortunately, it wasn't in the budget" - And please take your 'dosage' comment and stick it in your ear.

"I'm right there with him on the WOT but he has been a disaster at home"

And of course the WOT is just a minor issue right? I mean it's not like the struggle to defend western civilization can be expected carry weight in deciding the votes of conservatives.

These "conservatives abandoning Bush" amaze me. Presumably, many of them are among those who ridiculed us Forbes supporters in the 2000 primary season. Would they now have us believe they were too dumb to know what "compassionate conservative" meant? And of course, the Democrats will fight the WOT much more effectively when they get power, right?

Increasingly I'm thinking the West is doomed to be under Sharia law within the next generation. And these "conservatives abandoning Bush" will be just as responsible for that as the most lunatic denizen of the fever swamp left. But that's okay, as long as Bush is punished for the "No Child Left Behind Act."

"Seems to me a pretty brilliant mind, AND a showman."

Agreed LS. But bear in mind, some think he talks about golf too much and some disagree with some of his opinions. And now we've learned he is a sinner, which of course makes him a "hypocrite" - so never mind what he's done for the cause of freedom in this country - it's off to prison with him!!