SNIPPETS

OCTOBER 12,  2008

America's opponents in the Middle East are gloating at the US financial meltdown. And they are describing it as the divinely inspired collapse of an overstretched empire.  Hardline clerics across the region, as well as representatives of US opponents such as Hamas and al-Qaida, have described the plummeting stocks and frozen credit markets as a kind of retribution for American misdeeds.

It's always good to have the view from the tenth century.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Attempts to tackle global warming are being made more difficult by the spreading economic crisis even as Democratic congressional leaders say it's still a top goal for next year.At the very least, fear of a prolonged economic downturn is expected to delay attempts by the United States to cap greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

Suggestion:  How about getting the facts right before you start tampering with an already fragile economy?  Huh?  The U.S., not the U.N., should gather together our best scientific minds to engage in real science, not political science, and review the "generally accepted" conclusions, which seem increasingly shaky.

OCTOBER 11,  2008

From The New York Times:  WASHINGTON — The Bush administration announced on Saturday that it was removing North Korea from a list of state sponsors of terrorism and said the country had agreed to adhere to concessions on its nuclear program, in a bid to salvage a fragile nuclear deal that seemed on the verge of collapse...But almost immediately, the move brought expressions of concern from Republican lawmakers, including the presidential nominee, Senator John McCain.

The fact that only Republican lawmakers expressed concern gives you a picture of what to expect if the Dems win everything next month.  Bye, bye, foreign policy.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sen. Ted Stevens had a "sterling" reputation for integrity as he vouched for the Alaska Republican at the lawmaker's corruption trial on Friday.  Stevens is accused of lying on his financial disclosure forms to conceal more than $250,000 in renovations to his home in Girdwood, Alaska, and other gifts from Alaska oil services firm VECO Corp and its former chief executive, Bill Allen.

Weird move by Powell.  Can't understand it.

From The New York Times:  DETROIT — General Motors is in preliminary talks about a possible merger with Chrysler, a deal that could drastically remake the landscape of the auto industry by reducing the Big Three of Detroit automakers to the Big Two.

The key here is to turn has-beens into will-do's.  But can it be done with the stodgy culture of these two dinosaurs?  This could be a great corporate story, if the merger works.

"What you see is news.  What you know is background.  What you feel is opinion."
    - Lester Markel,
      late Sunday editor of
      The New York Times

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