] A little known group of Islamic militants called Saraya
] al-Mujaheddin -- which released a video Thursday showing
] the hostages being threatened with guns and knifes -- has
] pledged to burn the three Japanese alive if Tokyo does
] not withdraw its 550 non-combat troops from Iraq by
] Sunday night.

What a horrible decision to have to make. Stay resolute and possibly watch your people be killed, or submit to demands and know that all your citizens abroad are at risk that they too could be kidnapped to force your hand.

Japanese Prime Minister Stays Resolute on Iraq

] But debate over the Iraq war has gotten far hotter since
] those early months, and the administration continues to
] defend its position in Iraq in terms of the attacks of
] Sept. 11. So the approach of the June 30 deadline for the
] transfer of power in Iraq heightens the political tension
] around all aspects of the war on terror. And that tension
] will crackle around the report of the Sept. 11
] commission, now expected July 26.

I ran across this essay while seeking information about Rice's upcoming testimony on Thursday. I found it an interesting perspective on things.

NPR Essay : Politically Speaking : Getting Ahead of History

About the mobile labs:
] Powell said the evidence included firsthand accounts from
] four sources -- among them, an Iraqi chemical engineer
] who supervised one of the facilities and an Iraqi civil
] engineer "in a position to know the details of the
] program."

I remember watching Powell's speech live. I didn't find all of it particularly compelling at the time -- I had other reasons to believe that Iraq was systematically refusing to disarm. One thing I *did* find interesting, but that isn't mentioned in this article, is that Powell also showed a video of an Iraqi aircraft that had a special attachment that was spraying some type of gas.

The bit about the mobile labs though still puzzles me. I have a lot of respect for Powell, and if he says that there were four sources, I believe that there were four sources. So there were four different Iraqis who all agreed that this mobile lab was producing chemical weapons. Was it an urban legend within Iraq? Was it a conspiracy to lie to the U.S. in order to get sanctuary? Or was the lab a dual-use facility, that could easily be flip-flopped back and forth from WMD to garden supplies?

I'd very much like to learn more about those four sources, and whether they said the lab *could* be used for making weapons, or whether it *was* being used for making weapons. And if the latter, then where were those chemicals shipped to, and who paid for them?

Summary of Powell's points about Iraq at U.N. in February 2003

] After many postponements, the trial for DragonCon founder
] and science fiction writer Ed Kramer, accused of
] molesting three teenage boys, is scheduled to begin in
] May.
]
] A trial date has been deferred several times since Kramer
] was arrested in almost four years ago. Most recently, the
] case was postponed in November after a third boy came
] forward with accusations of sexual abuse and
] Kramer's attorneys asked for a continuance. A new
] date has been set for May 3, prosecutors said Wednesday.

I look forward to seeing this resolved.

DragonCon founder's trial to start in May

] Iraqi authorities will reopen an old nuclear site near
] Baghdad at the end of March for "peaceful scientific"
] research purposes, Science and Technology Minister Rashad
] Mandan Omar said on Thursday.
]
] "We are working to transform al-Tuwaitha into a peaceful
] scientific site to serve the Iraqis and to participate in
] research and studies on a global level," Omar told AFP.

I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe if it's re-opened though, we'll finally get some better data on the yellowcake contamination?

Iraq to reopen Tuwaitha

] "We have been informed that Mohammed Abbas or Abu Abbas, head of
] the Palestine Liberation Front, who has been held in American
] custody, has died in Iraq," the official told Reuters, adding that
] the death was "related to his deteriorating health situation."

He was 55 years old. What health situation?

On the one hand, I don't think the guy's death is a huge loss -- he did some *horrifying* things in his younger days. But I don't like the idea of his death under mysterious circumstances while in U.S. custody, either. This one smells fishy, and there had better be more details forthcoming.

PLF Terrorist Abu Abbas Dies in U.S. Custody in Iraq

Hijexx wrote:
] I remember a while back this was the stated mission from
] Bush's handlers, to exploit 9/11 for political advantage. And
] so it begins.

Well, I haven't seen the ad, but I don't see it as exploitation, I see it as stating a fact. No matter who's elected as President, I see one of their top jobs as protecting the country from another such event. It's not just a trivial occurrence that is being taken advantage of because we happen to have an emotional photo -- 9/11 was the greatest challenge that our country faced during the course of Bush's presidency. How he dealt with that challenge *is* crucially important.

To put it another way: For me, it's a key issue to note that since 9/11, there *hasn't* been another such (successful) attack, even though there have been multiple threats of such, and multiple attempts.

If people are going to blame Bush for everything that goes wrong, then I believe that they should also give him credit for some of the things that go *right*. And say what you will, we haven't had another 9/11 while on his watch.

Don't get me wrong: There are plenty of things that I dislike about Bush -- but as far as his passion for national security, I agree with him and think he'd still be a good leader. The question for me as to who I vote for though, is whether all the things that I *disagree* with him on are going to outweigh the things that I agree with.

RE: Furor over Bush's 9/11 ad

] WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The informant who helped lead the
] U.S. military to ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's two
] sons has been paid most of a $30 million reward for the
] tip-off, the State Department said on Saturday.

I was curious about this, as to when the reward was going to be paid. I hear that the informant was also allowed to relocate to the U.S., along with his family.

And now that winter is mostly over, and it's easier to get in and out of the mountains around the Pakistan/Afgani border, I look forward to Osama's capture, too!

U.S. Pays Informant Reward for Saddam's Sons

] WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan on
] Thursday lent support to a White House bid to make $1.7
] trillion in tax cuts permanent, telling Congress spending
] control was the best way to cut the budget gap.

MSNBC - Greenspan backs Bush tax cuts extension

] President Bush's spokesman said Wednesday that Democrats
] who continue to demand more proof that the president
] reported for National Guard duty in Alabama are "trolling
] for trash."

I agree. This whole AWOL thing feels absurd to me. Some Democrats are trying to stir up trouble over something vague that may or may not have happened OVER THIRTY YEARS AGO? Come on. If this is the best they can do, then Bush definitely deserves re-election.

To be honest, even if it was true (and I don't believe it is), it wouldn't have an impact on my opinion. Someone cut school for a day? Big whoop.

This is one of the reasons I never want to run for office. I mean, I know I'm a good person, I'm smart, I'm ethical, I do my homework, I've got no police record more serious than the occasional speeding ticket, and I believe strongly in doing the right thing for the community, instead of for myself. But gawd, if my life were opened to public scrutiny, I know I'd stand zero chance.

Spokesman Defends Bush's Military Service