] One can conservatively conclude that affecting the
] balance of power in the House of Representatives is worth
] at least $100M to the party who would otherwise be
] losing. So when designing the security behind the
] software, one must assume an attacker with a $100M
] budget.

Schneier.com: economics of voter fraud

] This is not only odd, but also it has substantial
] political implications for Bush and the United States.
] First, by providing no coherent answer, he leaves himself
] open to critics who are ascribing motives to his policy
] -- everything from controlling the world's oil supply, to
] the familial passion to destroy Saddam Hussein, to a
] Jewish world conspiracy. The Bush administration, having
] created an intellectual vacuum, can't complain when
] others, trying to understand what the administration is
] doing, gin up these theories. The administration has
] asked for it.

Stratfor lays out Bush's mistakes. One wonders if maybe Stratfor's explanation is just another ginned up theory.

Stratfor: Why won't Bush provide a coherent justification for Iraq?!

(U:) Upon further consideration it occurs to me that those of you who are trying to figure out what you think about Bush could do worse then to pay close attention to this situation. Bush is not an intellectual. He likes to shoot from the hip. Regardless of how rational the conclusions here are, the WAY in which they were reached provides actual substance to the paranoid delusion that the U.S. supports Israeli expansionism. It is that paranoia that fuels much of the terrorist violence in the middle east, and its something we need to be combatting, not re-enforcing. It seems clear that this decision was counter to United States interests. Even conservative commentators seem to be scratching their heads on this one.

inignoct wrote:
] ] Informed of Palestinians' reaction, Sharon was quoted by
] ] two well-informed Israeli columnists covering his White
] ] House visit as saying: "They have a better understanding
] ] of the significance of (Bush's) letter than most
] ] Israelis. I said that we were going to deal them a lethal
] ] blow, and they were dealt a lethal blow."
] ]
] ] Over decades of Republican and Democratic
] ] administrations, the United States had officially viewed
] ] Israeli settlements implanted since the occupation of the
] ] West Bank and Gaza in the 1967 Middle East war as an
] ] obstacle to peace.

On the one hand, Bush is mostly right. Those settlements aren't going away. He is saying that the Palestinians should have a contiguous state. Furthermore, Isreal is retreating from some of it's holdings.

Emotionally, however, there are serious problems with this. Mostly the fact that Sharon and Bush are sitting around making decisions about the Palestinian territories without any Palestinians at the table. Furthermore, Isreal gets to walk away with official recognition of formerly illegal settlements.

This kind of stuff dumps fuel in the general middle east fire about American fairness toward Arab interests. Most commentators seem to agree that its not a good time to be doing that.

RE: Palestinians Urge World to Challenge Bush Policy

] In "RFID Goes Mobile", Red Herring reports that Nokia has
] quietly launched last month the first RFID-enabled cell
] phone. The Mobile RFID Kit will be available later this
] year and only for the 5140 model. This accessory allows
] the user to easily launch services and conveniently
] access phone functions simply by touching the phone to an
] RFID tag.

I happen to think there is a BIG consumer market for this technology.

RFID Coming to a Cell Phone Near You

] On my rec.humor.funny web site, I maintain the newsgroup
] archives, including this 13 year old joke entitled
] American Expressway.
]
] Today I got one of those bullying "cease and desist"
] letters from American Express's law firm, ordering me to
] take down the joke for trademark infringement. Here's the
] text of the cease and desist
]
] Do these guys know who they are trying to bully? I guess
] not, here's my response to them:
]
] You can "Screw More" with an American Express Lawyer.......

I absolutely cannot stand companies that send out baseless legal threats to unprepared citizens. I like Amex and to see them do it is disgraceful. I think that this activity ought to be illegal. In any event, this time they got exactly what they deserved. They served Brad Templeton. He's the Chairman of the EFF. I can just hear Nelson saying "HA-HA."

Brad Ideas: American Express threatens me over joke on web site

Jeremy wrote:
] To be blunt, if you're a technologist, there's a chance
] that your position will be outsourced sometime down the road.
] If you want to ensure that no one sees you as a commodity,
] consider these six items:
]
] 1. Don't plan to write code for your entire career.
] 2. Learn to communicate effectively.
] 3. Develop people skills.
] 4. Move into the people part of the business.
] 5. Learn how to sell.
] 6. Consider consulting.
]
] There was a time when all you had to do was to get a good
] education and find a stable job. That time is gone.

I have people skills! (mp3)

Simson Garfinkel has the cover article in the April 2004 issue of MIT's Counterpoint Magazine. It's a short (three page) article, and worth the read.

You can download the full issue in PDF; no subscription is required. Here's a brief description, in his words:

"It's a combination of advice to current undergraduates and reflections about all of the money and time that I wasted in my 20's. Key lessons from the article:

- It turns out that grades matter after all.
- On the other hand, your choice of major doesn't matter much.
- Once you graduate, it's really important to stay in school (i.e.: continuing education)/
- Apply for things.
- Invest for your future (ie: save, save, save --- and don’t gamble with your savings).
- Don't make enemies --- the world is a small place.

I can wholeheartedly endorse all of Simson's lessons. You'll also find at least one of them in Anthony Zinni's "20 Principles."

On Leap Day I posted the lyrics to Pink Floyd's "Time" -- I was thinking about many of the same things Simson brings out in this article, particularly the post-college context.

Simson Garfinkel, on College

] It is the most foolish and selfish thing to say "pull the
] troops out", or "replace them with the UN or NATO".
] Someone has to see us through this mess to the end. Only
] a deluded utopian (or an idiot peace activist) would
] believe that Iraqis would all cosily sit down and settle
] down their endless disputes without AK-47's, RPG's, or
] mortars in the event of coalition troops abandoning Iraq.
] Please please don't get me wrong, I am not in the least
] saying that I enjoy being occupied by a foreign force, I
] am not a dreamer who believes that the USA is here for
] altruistic reasons, I am not saying that I am happy with
] what my bleeding country is going through, believe me
] when I say it tears my heart every day to witness all the
] bloodshed, it pains me immensely to see that we have no
] leaders whomsoever with the interest and well-being of
] Iraq as their primary goal, it kills me to see how blind
] and ignorant we have all become.

Interesting pro-coallition Iraqi Blogger

Iraqi Blogger

Al-Sadr is, in fact, al-Sistani's pawn. Perhaps more precisely, al-Sadr is al-Sistani's ace in the hole.

Gaming Out Iraq

I agree with Marie's take on this, but I'm linking Jeremy's version because its not a PDF. Its well understood that this information was available before 9/11. Drastic changes to the makeup of institutions we not called for. Existing security mechanisms had worked prior to that point. The biggest red herring was the 1993 WTC bombing. Did they make organizational changes then to address the fact that they didn't predict that. Also, the embassy bombings and the U.S.S. Cole. Why didn't they foresee these things. Were they repairing that problem?

These, of course, are questions for the Clinton Administration... Also, there are questions that we should have been asking then, and not now, when we were busy fussing about interns.

Text of Presidential Daily Briefing from August 6, 2001