pope zimli

McGahee, McGahee, McGahee. We have to get respect for the running came, play clock control, and take the pressure off Losman through the first quarter if at all possible. The passing game will come along in the last three quarters, but unless we play some smash mouth football the first quarter and get Houston respecting the run we are in for a long afternoon. I predict we win 17-14.

I don't think ANY official, local state or federal, who was involved (or should have been involved) in this fiasco deserves to be President. Unfortunatately only one of those federal officials happens to be president, and his sorry actions in other situations gave pretty fair warning that he would !@#$ up this one.

But what agency is supposed to co-rdinate state and local and charitable entities and ensure co-ordination? FEMA. What agency operated very efficiently in the past under the previous administration in the wake of such disasters as the Oklahoma bombing and received high marks throughout? FEMA. Who appointed a guy who couldn't even run horse shows to appoint the watered down agency? Bush.

This shakeout in Ukraine has been coming for some time. I was there at the tail end of the revolution until June. I noticed the protestors went from the Pro-Yanukovich mobsters from Donetsk in the beginning to the student members of Pora later in the spring because there was not enough movement on reform. The revolution was not so much about Yushenko as it was about reform. There is a huge difference, believe me, in Ukraine with Yushenko and Timoshenko, but there is a corrupt regime that must be dealt with. It will be the Ukrainians who will decide whether and how fast reform will take place. Don't for one minute think the existing structure is worse than the Kuchma regime. Journalists are not being beheaded and people are not being followed home by the "men in black." Businesses are coming into Ukraine and there has been some very significant reform.

there are exceptions to posse comitatus and precedent for using the army in critical situations. The Supreme Court has recognized that. Boots on the ground on Tuesday morning would have been appropriate. There is no reason this thing has not been under control. On the one hand, I would assume the govt doesn't give a darn...on the other I'm wondering if this is actual malfeasance.

yeah...and its full of colored people and democrats anyway.

that's nice...but disaster plans should be measured by their follow through in an actual disaster. I think there are things about this disaster (heat, the waste etc in the water, and the nature of the place) that require some serious on the spot decisionmaking.

Ah...so that's the justification for her kid getting killed. Should have guessed.

Ukraine has an executive branch which includes a prime minister (Viktor yushenko) and a very powerful second in charge (Yulia Tymoshenko, a Julia Roberts look alike and tough cookie) and a legislative branch or Rada, and a judiciary. Elections very much like ours (a little more corrupt though until recently)

The thing that interested me most in the piece is the alleged circumstances around Casey Sheehan's death. If the Iraqi "soldiers left the Americans to die in an ambush (Ghosts of the ARVN in Viet Nam) and they weren't provided body armor or vehicles appropriate for the situation, and if they were on a mission to "look for" wmd's that the higher ups knew or should have known weren't there...I'd be a pissed off parent too. Eight years of service assumes good faith on the part of the folks that put you in harm's way. Even commercial law recognizes "unclean hands." The eight years argument could be used to justify the folks who pushed other folks into gas chambers.

interesting pov

I agree. And another probability is that the new "reform" party will eventually be co-opted by the existing corrupt group. I'm afraid for that happening in Ukraine eventually, and hope they maintain real vigilance to avoid that. The same caveat would exist for a successful third or "reform" party here.

Lets say that the two existing parties polarize even more, and the disconnect from the beltway and the united states (hell..the beltway and the world for that matter) continues. An outsider with money and a penchant for reform coupled with a respected government reformer in government could win. Maybe a Bill Gates (hence the money issue solved) and Colin Powell. Then you have the problem faced by all revolutionaries...reform and renewal. running toward the center and establishing a meaningful reform would probably establish the third party and be the death knell of the first two after a few years (patronage and influence dry up and the parties become more and more marginalized.) The net result would be the one party in power (the "third" and a large number of minor parties.)

You mean now? I suspect money would be an issue, so the two candidates vp and p, should have access to great amounts of money. One with Republican ties and one with Dem ties would be great. And they would have to run to the center. Republicans have moved very right, and dems have moved left. I can't think of two candidates to fit the bill though. Maybe Colin Powell as the "republican".

Shania? maybe shania president and martina vice pres. Jessica Simpson as Sec of State.

no problem...we all get confused and grab the box of crabbio's when we really want our cheerios.

Memo to file...Clinton administration has been out of office for six years. Sooner or later the Bush administration is going to have to take some responsibility for its actions.

I don't know about you, pal...but I don't READ CNN. I do watch it some time. You've been getting too much information WATCHING talk radio!

I didn't. But the rising body count, continued increase in terrorism and lack of results in Iraq kind of make them pale in comparison.

wow...the people who were tortured and abused at Abu Gharib were the ones who got the oil for food money? Parrish the thought!

"Mission Accomplished!"

Sure there is concern about a rookie (well, almost) quarterback. On the plus side we should have a very good running game and very good wide receivers. On the minus side, no killer offensive line and no great tight end (oh Jason Witten where are you now?). On the whole a solid team and a mobile quarterback who will improve throughout the season. I suspect we will win between 6 and 9 games. Hope I'm being conservative though.

Hated it. Let's see. All of those beings in separate metal containers all get fatal infections at once and die over a weekend. Talk about Ebola to the tenth power.

oh...innocent people get killed in war. Wow. I remember pictures of My Lai and the little girl who was so horribly burned by napalm. Wake up, Pollyanna. We should have thought of that before we went in if it bothered us.