Links and Minifeatures 02 14 Wednesday (Happy Massacre Day!)

Bush: Iran supplying weapons in Iraq.

Challenged on the accuracy of U.S. intelligence, President Bush said Wednesday there is no doubt the Iranian government is providing armor-piercing weapons to kill American soldiers in Iraq. But he backed away from claims the top echelon of Iran's government was responsible.

And the top level of Iranian government isn't responsible for what their subordinates do?



If either of the Roosevelts or Truman had been President when things like this happened, US troops would be in the process of conquering Iran right now. Jefferson, Jackson, Wilson, Lincoln, ditto. Basically any president and any congress we've ever had that was worth a damn.



And Bush is supposed to be a warmonger?



What has happened to the American people?



Where is the sense of outrage that this slimeball escaped, or that he was allowed to operate so long.



The Christian Science Monitor thinks the US is trying to get Iran to negotiate. The Universe knows that's a busted flush if ever there was one. Effective negotiation requires the realistic ability to do something that the Iranian regime does not want more than they do want nuclear weapons. The only thing that fits that bill is decapitating the Iranian regime, something I can't see the United States doing, despite the fact that it would be the best solution to the problem.



Looks like it's 1975 all over again.



More at Q and O



Captain's Quarters has the goods on the guns used to kill American troops. Austrian weapons, from a total sale of 800 to the Iranian government, of which over 100 have been captured in Iraq. Not allegedly used, captured. As in captured in raids, in combat, etcetera. Our troops have possession of them and have compared the serial numbers.



Here's a question for any military intelligence types that may see this (if it's not classified): If American espionagei types were to ship 100 special sniper rifles to the insurgents in Iran, how many would we expect the Iranian government to capture (as opposed to destroy, run out of the country, or just plain miss), and in how long? My guess is maybe 25, but that's a never played the game Monday morning quarterback guess. What's the ratio of weapons captured to casualty rates?



My point is this: "Over 100" out of 800 rifles that were sold to the Iranian government is a lower bound to the number that were supplied to Iraqi insurgents. So an absolute minimum of 12.5 percent of rifles sold to the Iranian government for "police" work went to kill American troops in Iraq. The Austrian supplier was specifically warned about this possibility in advance. I find protestations of ignorance and innocence utterly unbelievable.



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Joe Carter of http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/ sent an email requesting publicization of Congress Blocks Funding of "Baby AIDS" Program, and you know, I think this is the sort of thing that personal websites should be very good at countering.



Here is what I sent to my senators:

I do not see anything undesirable about identifying children for purposes of treatment, and then treating them so that they can have the best chance at long healthy lives possible. As a matter of fact, this strikes me as a highly useful and efficient use of public resources.



I do not see any advantage to prohibiting funding for this purpose UNLESS it is competing with funding with something else even more beneficial to the public, in which case I would like to know (specifically!) what that competing project is. I certainly couldn't find anything online attesting to the existence of such a competing program.



In the absence of such a competing program, I strongly urge Senators Boxer and Feinstein to support Senator Coburn in restoring funding to this program.

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Because he's stupid enough, egotistical enough, and gosh darn it, people loathe him: Franken saying he'll run for Senate



Congratulations, Al. You've just flunked another test Rush Limbaugh aced when he said (from memory) "In entertainment, ten percent audience share is fantastic. In politics, it's a joke." as he declined to run for office.



So what's less than one percent?







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State Farm: No New Policies in Miss.

"I view this decision as the inevitable outcome of the increased uncertainty and cost associated with the litigation that has developed post-Katrina," said Robert Hartwig, vice president and chief economist for the Insurance Information Institute in New York, an industry-funded group.



The state's courts and some state officials have created a "virtually impossible working environment for insurers," he said.

What did I tell you?



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Iran on course for nuclear bomb, EU told



Basically, the article says that negotiations can not stop the Iranians from obtaining nuclear bombs at this point. To which I say, "Really? No Kidding?"



Talk is all very well and good when both sides have a stake in the success of those talks. That is not the case with a nuclear armed Iran.



HT Argghhh!