“No One Speaks More Authoritatively….”

"…for the Democrats on defense and national security issues than Sens. Carl Levin of Michigan and Jack Reed of Rhode Island", says David Broder in the Washington Post. That is how he starts off his column written to assure America that the Democrats do too have national security chops of the first degree. Honest. No, really. Unfortunately, Broder as well as his two role models miss the boat right off the bat:

In a conference call with reporters the other day, the two senators outlined the changes in U.S. policy toward North Korea and Iraq that they and their fellow Democrats would like to see. They signal to voters the kind of change a Democratic victory would mean.

In the case of North Korea, Levin called for doing something that President Bush has refused for six years to do — engage directly in talks with representatives of the communist regime.

But he put a condition on it, saying such talks should take place only "providing our allies and partners want us to do it" and only as part of an agreed-upon strategy supported by Japan, South Korea, China and Russia.

Reed, who endorsed the idea, said any direct U.S.-North Korea talks would "most likely" take place in the context of the six-power talks, now stalled over Pyongyang's defiance of the United Nations and the regime's testing of a nuclear weapon.

Levin said he believes the other nations in those six-power talks — Russia, China, Japan and South Korea — all wish the United States would talk directly with the North Koreans. Our willingness to do so would not be a sign of weakness, he said, but a way of removing an excuse the North Koreans have used to explain their obduracy.

Consider for a moment that North Korea has already - due to Bush's stance and diplomatic efforts - told the Chinese they would not test any more weapons and that they regret having done the first test. Consider for a moment that North Korea has hinted - due to Bush's stance and diplomatic efforts - that it might be ready to resume six-party talks. Consider for a moment that China has already - due to Bush's stance and diplomatic efforts - stopped all currency transfers into or out of North Korea, putting enormous strain on the rogue nation to actually step up and negotiate in good faith. Then consider for a moment that Levin and Reed are quite willing to throw all of that out of the window and give North Korea exactly what it wanted all along.

Then consider if this is the voice you want to speak authoritatively on the defense of this nation. I'll leave it to the casual reader to dissect the rest of the nonsense.

“They Should Beat Them Lightly”

The words of Mahmoud Shalash, an imam from Lexington, Kentucky, as quoted by Asra Q. Nomani in an op-ed in the Washington Post. That is the answer she got when she protested to the imam about his lecture to about 100 men about how to treat their wives. Nomani is making a point here: How can you expect to stop suicide bombers, jihadists and preachers of violence when it is perfectly acceptable to many Muslim males to engage in domestic violence. She quotes another Muslim woman describing the thought process among too many Muslim males: "If it's okay for me to be a savage in my home, it's okay for me to be a savage in the world."

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. When dealing with a "disobedient wife," a Muslim man has a number of options. First, he should remind her of "the importance of following the instructions of the husband in Islam." If that doesn't work, he can "leave the wife's bed." Finally, he may "beat" her, though it must be without "hurting, breaking a bone, leaving blue or black marks on the body and avoiding hitting the face, at any cost."

Such appalling recommendations, drawn from the book "Woman in the Shade of Islam" by Saudi scholar Abdul Rahman al-Sheha, are inspired by as authoritative a source as any Muslim could hope to find: a literal reading of the 34th verse of the fourth chapter of the Koran, An-Nisa , or Women. "[A]nd (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and beat them," reads one widely accepted translation.

The notion of using physical punishment as a "disciplinary action," as Sheha suggests, especially for "controlling or mastering women" or others who "enjoy being beaten," is common throughout the Muslim world. Indeed, I first encountered Sheha's work at my Morgantown mosque, where a Muslim student group handed it out to male worshipers after Friday prayers one day a few years ago.

Verse 4:34 retains a strong following, even among many who say that women must be treated as equals under Islam. Indeed, Muslim scholars and leaders have long been doing what I call "the 4:34 dance" — they reject outright violence against women but accept a level of aggression that fits contemporary definitions of domestic violence.

Western leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, have recently focused on Muslim women's veils as an obstacle to integration in the West. But to me, it is 4:34 that poses the much deeper challenge of integration. How the Muslim world interprets this passage will reveal whether Islam can be compatible with life in the 21st century. As Hadayai Majeed, an African American Muslim who had opened a shelter in Atlanta to serve Muslim women, put it, "If it's okay for me to be a savage in my home, it's okay for me to be a savage in the world."

Not long after I picked up the free Saudi book, Mahmoud Shalash, an imam from Lexington, Ky., stood at the pulpit of my mosque and offered marital advice to the 100 or so men sitting before him. He repeated the three-step plan, with "beat them" as his final suggestion. Upstairs, in the women's balcony, sat a Muslim friend who had recently left her husband, who she said had abused her; her spouse sat among the men in the main hall.

At the sermon's end, I approached Shalash. "This is America," I protested. "How can you tell men to beat their wives?"

"They should beat them lightly," he explained. "It's in the Koran."

He was doing the dance.

There is a problem with extremism and Islamism, which should not be confused in any way, I think, with the religion of Islam itself. Rather it is with a secular movement enforcing extreme notions and interpretations in order to gain secular power. This is hiding behind the mask of religion to advance an unholy agenda.

This one is a must read. It defines a real problem that we have got to recognize. Because we are dealing with a specific problem here: "If it's okay for me to be a savage in my home, it's okay for me to be a savage in the world." That may be the most succinct explanation of the problem I have yet seen.

(And let me make one thing perfectly clear: if I were to see a Presbyterian beating his wife, lightly or otherwise, said man would be looking for his teeth for a while. Same goes for any religion/ethnicity/belief system. Men do not beat women. Period.)

Emergency Transfusion

Ned Lamont had to dump a quick $2 million into his campaign to keep it alive today. There is another debate on Monday and I'm sure the nutroots will be quick to declare Alan Schlesinger the winner again. That would be their last, desperate strategy to drain some support away from Lieberman. Even the AP sees it that way. That does not bode well for Lamont, I suspect.

The wealthy cable television executive has tapped his personal fortune for $12.7 million to fund his campaign.

Lamont has about two weeks to catch Lieberman, a three-term incumbent who has pulled to a 17-point lead, according to a recent poll. Lieberman lost the Democratic primary to Lamont and then launched an independent campaign.

The third and final televised debate of the race was scheduled for Monday. Unlike their second debate, which featured all five candidates, only Lieberman, Lamont and Republican Alan Schlesinger will share the stage. That could make it easier for Lamont to engage Lieberman directly.

"People have a real opportunity to see three candidates stand up, enunciate real differences about where this country should go," Lamont said Friday while campaigning in Hartford. "That's the best way to get our message out, through debates."

Lieberman spokeswoman Tammy Sun said, "We expect Ned Lamont may stoop to new lows in misrepresenting Joe Lieberman's record in a desperate last-minute ploy."

Schlesinger, considered a long shot, was at 6 percent in the latest Quinnipiac University survey. He and Lieberman are vying for Republican support, so any Schlesinger gains could come at Lieberman's expense.

Lieberman drew much of the criticism that came from his rivals in the first two debates. He has widened his lead from 10 points last month, according to the latest Quinnipiac poll. The senator gained an edge with independent voters, the state's largest voting bloc, and with men, the survey showed.

"It's a steep uphill battle for Lamont to erase this substantial gap," said Quinnipiac poll director Doug Schwartz. "He's got to do something different, because what he's been doing up to this point hasn't been working. In fact, his numbers have been getting lower."

Don't worry, Ned. All is not lost yet. That won't happen until Wednesday. That's when the other darling of the nutroots lately will join Lamont to campaign, sealing Ned's fate. John "Can't Spare A Dime For Fellow Democrats" Kerry is coming to "help".

After that is when all hope is gone.

All The Rage

Want to grab a few headlines? Need some free publicity? Want the world press to carry your message far and wide for free? There's one easy way to do it all.

Behead a few people.

Think it's just in the Muslim world? Nope. Others have watched and learned. Like Mexican drug gangs.

In Michoacan, the home state of President-elect Felipe Calderon, 17 heads have turned up this year, many with bloodstained notes like the one found in the highlands town of Tepalcatepec in August: "See. Hear. Shut Up. If you want to stay alive."

Many in Michoacan's mountains and colonial cities are doing just that: They are tightlipped, their newspapers are censoring themselves and in one town, 18 out of 32 police officers quit saying they had received death threats from drug smugglers.

In the most gruesome case, gunmen burst into a nightclub and rolled five heads onto the dance floor. In another, a pair of heads were planted in front of a car dealership in Zitacuaro, a town best known until now as a nesting ground for monarch butterflies.

By a highway outside Tepalcatepec, suspected drug smuggler Hector Eduardo Bautista's tortured body was dumped on July 10. Near a black metal cross put up by his family at the spot, killers apparently avenging his death have been leaving severed heads — five so far — each with a threatening message.

Beheadings and accompanying notes in sometimes cryptic and misspelled Spanish are becoming a ghoulish vogue among the gangs that grow marijuana, cook methamphetamine and run cocaine in Michoacan. There have been 420 homicides in the state this year, including 19 police chiefs and commanders, and Juan Antonio Magana, the state's attorney general, says well over half the killings were drug-related — the work of smuggling gangs reorganizing after authorities captured some of their top leaders.

"These are groups that are very big, very strong and are out to dominate territory," Magana said in an interview.

Drug smuggling in Michoacan has traditionally been controlled by a syndicate known as Los Valencia. Police arrested its leader, Armando Valencia, in August 2003 and one of his lieutenants, Carlos Alberto Rosales Mendoza, a year later.

Now, anti-narcotics investigators say, the Gulf cartel based in northern Mexico is battling its way into Los Valencia territory, relying on "Los Zetas," ex-Mexican army operatives-turned hit men. Los Valencia loyalists have fought back fiercely.

Many notes attached to slaying victims are signed "The Family," a possible reference to Los Valencia. Some mention "La Chata," a known alias for a top reputed Gulf cartel hit man.

"They don't need to leave written messages. The mere fact that they are using such high levels of violence is sending messages of intimidation, causing fear," Magana said. "But doing it shows other gangs they can act in even more gruesome and violent ways than their rivals."

So. Anyone want to explain why they think fencing the Mexican border is a bad idea? With a straight face? Or at least one that is still attached to your body. Just to give you something to think about: type "Michoacan", the name of the Mexican state in the story above into whatever word processing program you use, then spell check it.

My spell check suggests "Michigan". How about yours?

Oriana Fallaci’s Bequest

The Anchoress is quite correct. The headline is deplorable: "Atheist gifts pontifical school in will". The "atheist" has a name, it is Oriana Fallaci. Before she died she sent 20 boxes of books to a pontifical university in Rome. She did so because she admired Pope Benedict XVI, despite her self-proclaimed atheism.

Oriana Fallaci had described the pontiff as an ally in her campaign to rally Christians in Europe against what she saw as a Muslim crusade against the West. As she battled breast cancer last year, she had a private audience with Benedict, who was elected only a few months earlier, at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.

In one of her final interviews, Fallaci told The Wall Street Journal: "I am an atheist, and if an atheist and a pope think the same things, there must be something true."

Benedict was surprised by the gift of the books, which dated back as far as the 17th century and included volumes about the formation of modern-day Italy, American history, philosophy and theology, said Monsignor Rino Fisichella, rector of the Pontifical Lateranense University in Rome.

"The veneration that she had for you, Holy Father, persuaded her to make this donation, which will be known as the Oriana Fallaci Archives," Fisichella said during a ceremony at the university Saturday to announce the gift of the books.

Benedict greeted Fallaci's nephew and his family during the ceremony, according to the Italian news agency ANSA. He then spoke briefly about the search for truth in science and academia.

"God is the ultimate truth to which all reason naturally gravitates," the pontiff told an audience of students and faculty.

A few weeks before her death, Fallaci had some 20 boxes of books sent to the university, Fisichella later told The Associated Press. Books are still awaiting shipment from her homes in New York and Tuscany, he said, as well as her notes as a journalist.

Fisichella said "the pope has said we must live in the world as if God existed and she (Fallaci) took up the challenge."

Oriana Fallaci believed passionately that the West is in trouble. She is a better student of history than the vast majority of what passes for journalists these days. She had a vastly better understanding of the world as it is than the vast majority of what passes for the intellectuals of the post-modern West.

The Anchoress (guest blogging at Captain's Quarters) writes:

That the fierce, passionate and relentlessly cerebral Fallaci, a former resistance fighter against true fascists, is shunted aside and called a "fascist" by know-it-all collegiate bookstore clerks while feminist clowns rule the day is a sad reflection of our dumbed-down era and the devolution of genuine, "classically liberal" thought.

It's alright. In 20 years, we'll still be talking about Oriana Fallaci. I doubt we'll be able to name her detractors. Her most recent books translated to English were The Rage and the Pride and The Force of Reason. Both are brilliant, thoughtful, passionate, maddening and moving and whether you agree with her or not, she will challenge you to think. When or if the third book in that trilogy will be translated to English is anyone's guess, given the times. I'm not even sure of its title.

While Fallaci was dying of cancer, she couldn't eat, so she drank champagne, instead. I love that. She lived a life.

She did that, didn't she? Biographical notes on Oriana Fallaci here.

‘Engage the enemy more closely’

The signal flown from HMS Victory just before sailing into battle off Cape Trafalgar, Spain. Today is the 201st anniversary of the battle of Trafalgar. Admiral Lord Nelson led the Royal Navy fleet against the combined French and Spanish fleet. His fleet cut the line of battle in two places won a stunning victory against a numerically superior force. Lord Nelson lost his life in the battle.

An excellent history of the battle and of the Royal Navy during that time period can be found here.

UPDATE: On a completely unrelated note, but weirdly appropriate nonetheless, Britain appears to be ready to start using prison ships to house prisoners once again. Everything old is new again.

Suppressing Voters

Fred Barnes points out the obvious - and what appears to not be obvious to conservatives who think sitting out the election will "send a message". Barnes rightly points out that if sending a message by an electoral defeat worked, the Democrats would have changed by now.

If you suspect there are forces eager to suppress Republican turnout, you are right. Rarely has the press echoed Democratic themes as relentlessly as it has in the closing weeks of the 2006 campaign. And the main theme is that Republicans are about to be blown away. The question now is whether this message will persuade Republican voters to stay home on Election Day. It shouldn't, so long as Republicans–and especially conservative Republicans–act like adults, not like petulant children angry over one thing or another that didn't go their way.

Yes, the Republican performance in the last two years has been disappointing. The Iraq war isn't going well. President Bush and the Republican Congress have spent too much of the taxpayer's money. They got nowhere on overhauling Social Security and only part of the way–beefed-up border security–on immigration reform. The list goes on. Still, the reasons given for staying home on Election Day are pathetically disconnected from the realities of politics and political power.

The president and Republicans need to be taught a lesson: We hear that a lot from conservatives. And maybe Bush and company do. But allowing Democrats to take over Congress won't achieve that. It won't lead to a Republican course correction any more than losing the 2000, 2002, and 2004 elections taught Democrats to move to the right. Politics doesn't work that way, and it never has. Losing simply hurts a political party. A landslide loss in 2006 would merely weaken the Republican party. And, for the foreseeable future, the Republican party is the only vehicle through which conservatives and moderates can accomplish their goals.

Would Democrats join with social and religious conservatives to curb abortion and block same-sex marriage? Never in a million years. Would Democrats please small-government conservatives by cutting taxes and limiting spending growth? Not a chance. Would they thrill libertarians by pursuing privatization of Social Security or by resisting the demands of the global-warming faddists for a full-blown regulatory state? Don't bet on it. Would they satisfy moderates by compromising with conservatives? Only under duress. Rather, the prerequisite for attaining any of these goals is a Republican Congress. It's as uncomplicated as that.

The other ballyhooed reason for not showing up on Election Day is that Democrats, once in power again, will misbehave so egregiously that Republicans will roar back in 2008, stronger and more conservative than ever. No doubt Republicans thought this in 1954 when Democrats won back both houses of Congress. But that was followed by 40 years of Democratic control of the House and 26 years of Democratic rule in the Senate. And for most of those years, Democrats held on to power in defiance of a rising conservative tide in the country. They know how to keep power once they get it.

Some people might want to recall that last sentence. Regular readers know I am not overly thrilled with many things the Republicans have done, and I routinely criticize the administration. But I have a personal reason why I would not even consider putting the democrats in office until they get serious about defense of this nation. Since aside from Joe Lieberman, I see very Little sign of that, it isn't likely to happen any time soon. If you want to sit out the election, that's your prerogative. Just know that you will be actively helping Nancy Pelosi fulfill the strategy she has been following to regain the House. Your vote will have been suppressed with your cooperation. That, as Barnes points out, losing simply hurts a political party. Don't believe it? Look at the Democrats in the last 12 years or so.

Aleut Update

Despite losing the Republican primary and therefore the governorship of Alaska, Governor Frank Murkowski has created a policy-level office to advise on rural energy policy and oversee $183 million to help the neediest Alaskans in rural areas with their energy bills. Murkowski used the opportunity to take a swipe at Hugo Chavez and his ham-handed attempts to buy favor with poor Americans. The Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association just rejected oil from Chavez a few weeks ago, remember.

JUNEAU, Alaska - Gov. Frank Murkowski on Thursday created a rural energy adviser post, signed over $183 million that will help rural Alaskans pay their electricity bills, and criticized Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's fuel program for the state's villages.

Citgo, the Venezuelan government's Texas-based oil subsidiary, is donating about $5.3 million to Alaska Native nonprofit organizations to buy fuel this winter for more than 12,000 households, and has given millions more in other parts of the country.

About 150 Alaska Native villages have accepted the offer, but a few have refused, saying they don't want to participate in what they consider an attempt by Chavez — an adversary of President Bush — to embarrass the U.S.

Murkowski said his announcement was not a response to the Venezuelan fuel aid. The state's rural energy aid was approved by the Alaska Legislature earlier this year, and Murkowski said his new adviser would continue the work of an existing rural energy council.

But when asked about the Venezuelan aid, Murkowski said Chavez should be trying to lift Venezuelans out of poverty and "tin shacks" instead of trying to "buy favoritism" elsewhere.

"I think Chavez should practice a little recognition that charity begins at home," Murkowski said.

Remember, you can help the Pribilof Islands Association by donating to their energy fund here.

Better Get The Hired Help Warmed Up, Lyn

A bit more evidence that victory celebrations for the Greatest Electoral Defeat In Recorded History Ever™ might be a bit premature comes from Barron's, the folks who know just a teeny bit about money. They analyze campaign finances and have used that to accurately predict elections in the past. They are doing so in this election cycle as well. And they are bucking conventional wisdom again this year.

Our analysis — based on a race-by-race examination of campaign-finance data — suggests that the GOP will hang on to both chambers, at least nominally. We expect the Republican majority in the House to fall by eight seats, to 224 of the chamber's 435. At the very worst, our analysis suggests, the party's loss could be as large as 14 seats, leaving a one-seat majority. But that is still a far cry from the 20-seat loss some are predicting. In the Senate, with 100 seats, we see the GOP winding up with 52, down three

We studied every single race — all 435 House seats and 33 in the Senate — and based our predictions about the outcome in almost every race on which candidate had the largest campaign war chest, a sign of superior grass-roots support. We ignore the polls. Thus, our conclusions about individual races often differ from the conventional wisdom. Pollsters, for instance, have upstate New York Republican Rep. Tom Reynolds trailing Democratic challenger Jack Davis, who owns a manufacturing plant. But Reynolds raised $3.3 million in campaign contributions versus $1.6 million for Davis, so we score him the winner.

Likewise, we disagree with pollsters of both parties who see Indiana Republican Rep. Chris Chocola getting whomped by Democratic challenger Joe Donnelly, a lawyer and business owner from South Bend. Chocola has raised $2.7 million, versus $1.1 million for Donnelly. Ditto in North Carolina, where we see Republican Rep. Charles Taylor beating Democrat Heath Shuler, a former NFL quarterback, because of better financing. Analysts from both parties predict a Shuler upset.

Read the whole thing. There are some surprises for some people, I think. If they track as accurately as in the past, there are going to be many people reaching for the Fernet Branca on November 8th. Sorry Lyn.

Poultry-Geist

Or the haunted chicken. That is just one of the displays at a "haunted house" constructed entirely of balloons. The display is both a showcase for balloon art and a fundraiser for a worthy cause: proceeds go to a hospital cancer center and a Teens Living with Cancer support group.

IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. - Instead of clay or wood, sculptor Larry Moss prefers a highly malleable but far less durable material: balloons. Moss typically creates air-filled models of humans, animals and monsters, but his latest piece of performance art is even spookier: a 10-room, 10,000-square-foot, walk-through haunted house made out of 130,000 latex balloons covering everything but the floors and ceilings.

The Balloon Manor and its inhabitants — quirky, hilarious and somewhat creepy Halloween creatures — fill a wing of the Medley Centre mall in this Rochester suburb.

Its "boo-loon" show opened Friday and runs through next weekend. That's about as long as the artwork can last — with periodic infusions of air.

The entrance is a dragon's mouth, complete with a giant uvula that tickles visitors' heads. There's a motorized carousel of galloping insects, dragons and vultures, all ridden by undersized skeletons, and a Model T Ford that looks like it has long ghostly white arms.

In a nearby "beastro," two vampires hang upside down eating off an upturned table, and a ghostly chicken plays the role of "poultry-geist." In the kennel room, cages full of critters are trying to lock horns, claws and fangs through the bars. The crystal ballroom features both flying and disco-dancing skeletons.

Sounds like a lot of fun. There is a website for the Balloon Manor here, but it appears to be under severe stress at the moment, probably because of a crush of people trying to access it.

Don’t Go Picking Your Pony Just Yet

One of the things that is a source of constant amusement and/or irritation, depending on the stridency level, is the left's penchant for over-dramatization. One can see this quite clearly in yesterday's hysterical, hyperbolic hyperventilation by Lyn Davis Lear (and her quote from Gore Vidal) over at HuffnPuff. To the barricades! I get comments here that go something like, "Soon the nightmare will be over" or words to that effect. Things like, "worst/most/biggest (fill in subject) in history" are always being bandied about. And so it is with the Greatest Electoral Defeat In Recorded History Ever™ yammering going on in the cheerleading media. Which is what Tom Bevan tries to point out today at Real Clear Politics.

On the other hand, talk of a huge Democratic "wave" election remains premature, if not a bit overblown. Some are suggesting this year is shaping up to be a Democratic blowout similar to the one Republicans enjoyed in 1994 when they picked up fifty-two seats and captured control of the House. So far, despite the fact that Republicans are actively defending a larger set of seats than they were a few weeks ago, the evidence available at the moment simply doesn't bear out talk of a forty or fifty-seat swing to the Democrats.

That being said, there are still two and half weeks left until Election Day, so things may indeed get worse for Republicans. Or they might get better. One thing to remember is that eighteen days is an eternity in politics. If you don't believe me, consider that just twenty-one days ago most Americans had never heard the name Mark Foley. And just nine days ago Kim Jong Il and North Korea grabbed the world's attention by testing a nuke. The point is that things can, and almost always do change quickly in politics - especially in today's 24/7 new media environment.

The other thing to remember is that for many people around the country who do not follow politics very closely, the election has only recently gotten underway. Both Republicans and Democrats will be blanketing the airwaves with ads and pouring every last dollar into mobilizing their supporters in the final two weeks.

The heart of the question is whether Republican voters are really as depressed and fractured as the media has portrayed them to be over the last few weeks. If they are, and they decide to sit on their hands this election, then November 7 could indeed turn to out to be a very bad night for the GOP.

But if Republican voters aren't that depressed or, perhaps more likely, if they are disgruntled at the moment for one reason or another but decide in the final days that the alternative to not voting (i.e. having Speaker Nancy Pelosi two heart beats away from the Presidency) is worse, then GOP losses this cycle might not be so severe. (Emphasis added).

By all means read the whole thing. For some reason, last weekend seemed to be a low point for many in the right-leaning part of the blogosphere. I'm not sure why exactly. One really needs to remember that timing is everything in politics. And two weeks can make all the difference. So it's probably not a good idea for the left-leaning folks who are sure that the age of Aquarius is about to be ushered in on the wings of the Greatest Electoral Defeat In Recorded History Ever™ not to pick out the pony just yet. Yes, I know they promised you one, but you'll have to actually win the election first. That's how these things work, you know.

A Big If

If this allegation is true, Ted Kennedy has some very, very serious explaining to do. Sadly, I also don't think he ever will explain anything.

There’s a new book on Ronald Reagan making the rounds, The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism. Its author, Paul Kengor, unearthed a sensational document from the Soviet archives. That document is a memo regarding an offer made by Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts via former Senator John Tunney, both Democrats, to the General Secretary of the Communist Party, USSR, Yuri Andropov, in 1983. The offer was to help the Soviet leadership, military and civilian, conduct a PR campaign in the United States as President Ronald Reagan sought re-election. The goal of the PR campaign would be to cast President Reagan as a warmonger, the Soviets as willing to peacefully co-exist, and thereby turn the electorate away from Reagan. It was a plan to enlist Soviet help, and use the American press, in unseating an American president.

…..

Update: I should clear up a misconception that’s making the rounds, and that’s the authorship of the memo. Ted Kennedy didn’t write the memo. The memo’s author is V. Chebrikov, head of the Committee on State Security of the USSR–the KGB. It seems to have been written as an after-action in response to a meeting with former Sen. John V. Tunney. Tunney had been sent to the USSR to propose the strategy on Kennedy’s behalf to Andropov. The timing of the meeting isn’t immediately clear from the memo, but if the meeting took place it was most likely in late April or early May 1983.

This contact with the KGB would be highly improper - to the point of criminality. There are, of course, a few problems here that need to be addressed. Did Tunney actually go to the USSR during the time period and did he actually meet with the KGB? If so, was Tunney actually acting as a messenger for Kennedy? If so, did Chebrikov give an accurate account of what was said? A lot of 'ifs' here.

The other, probably insurmountable 'if' here should be apparent to everyone right now. The question of if the media will actually pick up on this or, as is more likely, will the media ignore both the book and the allegation. I think we all know the answer to that one. This may be a blogosphere uproar that never makes the transition to the MSM. The gatekeepers will not like having one of their favorites raked over the coals. Just as they largely ignored Kerry's improper contacts with the North Vietnamese, I doubt this one will get attention outside the right side of the blogosphere. I imagine the lefty mailing lists have already sent around instructions not to comment on this so as to 'deprive it of oxygen', to paraphrase Kos.

Blowing it?

Dan Riehl thinks the Democrats peaked too early and are blowing their opportunity. It's an interesting read.

Today, Rep. Harold Ford in Tennessee may well have done himself in as regards the Senate race. Go to the video - it isn't good. And while possibly an outlier, the latest from Zogby has him down by 7, which fits more with the desperation tactics he's using, confronting Corker and coming out for Lieberman, which he didn't need to do unless he isn't making it with moderates and conservatives in TN.

While not D versus R, it could be a portent of things to come as the Lamont campaign is going from hysterics to crashing to the ground 17 points down. Matt Stoller assures the faithful Lieberman's support is soft (eye-roll) … but Joe isn't the one who needs a cushion right about now.

The investigation headlines aren't going to be Weldon, or Foley, they are going to read NIE. And THAT, my friends, is a national security issue.

Burns and Tester a toss-up? I thought Tester was all but a lock, despite Burns incredible financial advantage coming down the stretch … which he still holds.

The Supremo's gave the okay to voter ID, for now. I wouldn't want to be a Democrat reacting to that in the public eye two weeks before an election. Bush's North Korea strategy worked two days after the Dems told the country it wouldn't.

Look for BushCo. to make a major announcement of a tactical shift in Iraq which will give marginal doubters at least enough hope to bite their lip and hold their nose when they vote. (Lots of links removed - go over to Dan's place to see the full analysis).

There have been a number of interesting facts coming out in the past few days. Democrats squabbling over campaign money is not the least of those facts. Nor is a sudden urge to borrow a lot of cash just before the election. There is also some indication that advertising, per se, is not working too well with the electorate this year. In which case the ground game becomes crucial. The Republicans have demonstrated an awesome ground game in the past. This may be where Howard Dean's "50 state" strategy murders the Democrat's hopes. If they lack sufficient GOTV resources in key races because they have spent too much on operations where it does not matter, Screamin' Howie may get his hat handed to him on November 8th. Or his head. Democrats can be somewhat vindictive that way.

Highs And Lows

Update from the Wirefly X Prize Cup competition. A Lunar lander prototype by Armadillo Aerospace flew successfully one its first official trial, but suffered a mishap on landing and may not be able to take a second flight. Without the second flight, the builders will not be able to claim the Northrup Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge prize money. The first successful flight did win some cash, but not the big prize.

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico — A little bit of Apollo Moon history was revisited here today. The Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge was staged for the first time at the Wirefly X Prize Cup.

The NASA-sponsored Challenge is part of the two-day Cup being held October 20-21 at the Las Cruces International Airport. NASA is providing $2 million in prize money for the Challenge.

The event was founded by the creators the Ansari X Prize, the $10 million prize package offered to anyone who could launch a re-usable sub-orbital spacecraft, capable of carrying passengers, twice in a two week period.

Roaring off into clear skies over a stretch of remote terrain, the Armadillo Aerospace vertical takeoff and landing vehicle rose to altitude, remained aloft, scooted horizontally a distance, but ran into trouble at touch down on a landing pad.

The craft–nicknamed "Pixel"–came down too fast causing breakage of landing legs. Fire damage caused by the hard landing has curtailed the vehicle's second flight - needed to claim NASA prize money. Depending on overnight fixes to software and hardware, another attempt at grabbing Lunar Lander Challenge money may be attempted.

Good luck guys. I hope you can get it fixed in time. Remember, you can watch video highlights and live streaming video of the competition. I have all the links at this post from yesterday.

UPDATE: They did try again today, but the craft tipped over on landing, killing any chance for the prize.

Roaring off into New Mexico skies over barren landscape, the Armadillo Aerospace vehicle rose to altitude, remained aloft, roared horizontally a distance, but ran into trouble on landing.

The craft missed a precise touch down, tipping over onto the ground. Yesterday, during the first leg of the two-day challenge, the same craft came down too fast causing breakage of its landing gear.

Video is here.

A Glimpse Into The Future?

I noted a post over at HuffPo last night that called for taking to the streets if the Democrats don't win in November. If you would like to see what taking to the streets brings about, one only need look at Oaxaca, Mexico and the ruination of the local economy by leftists intent on overturning an election.

OAXACA, Mexico (Reuters) - With his future looking more secure, the governor of Mexico's Oaxaca state defied protesters calling for his head on Friday and predicted a prompt end to the bloody political crisis crippling a colonial tourist town.

A day after Mexico's Senate chided him for not halting the violent political feud but stopped short of forcing him from office, Gov. Ulises Ruiz said barricades that have paralyzed the pretty state capital Oaxaca would likely be lifted within days.

"We don't have much time, I think this situation will be resolved in the next few days," he told foreign correspondents. "Oaxaca can't go on like this, people are fed up."

With Ruiz reiterating his hard line and demonstrators using protester-run radio stations to call for barricades to be reinforced, analysts said violence appeared to be more likely.

Eight people, most of them protesters, have been killed in the five-month-old conflict, and demonstrators accusing Ruiz of authoritarianism have crippled the mountain town whose Indian crafts and nearby pre-Hispanic ruins attract foreign tourists.

The crisis started with a teachers' strike, but leftist and Indian groups have joined the protests calling for Ruiz to step down. He has rejected demands he quit.

This appears to be the new favorite technique of the left all over the world. Take to the streets an paralyze everything, even if it means the economy is trashed. Incidentally, the teachers who originally started this entire mess have suddenly broken with the virulent leftists and agreed to return to work.

OAXACA, Mexico - Radical protesters and teachers who have taken over the city of Oaxaca appeared to be parting ways on Friday after the teachers' leaders agreed to end a strike and return to work. 

Embattled Oaxaca state Gov. Ulises Ruiz predicted that the protesters' barricades blocking highways and streets would be taken down within a week.

An end to the strike could weaken the protest camps that dot Oaxaca city. Both the teachers and the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca, or APPO, which is overseeing the protests, planned meetings to analyze their next moves.

Leftists who have taken over private radio stations in Oaxaca broadcast diatribes on Friday calling teachers' union leader Enrique Rueda "a traitor" and a "sellout," after Rueda said on Thursday that the strikers would return to work, even though they didn't achieve their main goal of removing Ruiz from power.

Uh, gee, where have we heard that kind of rhetoric about someone who doesn't hew to the party line? Oh, that's right, it's in the Connecticut Senate race.