X. Benedict

And the European Union was a reaction to the changing market place and a counter weight to __________ . We can take that logic all the way back to the big bang if you like and blame the God of Aquinas as first mover. Congratulations, you've turned Foreign Policy into an infinite regress. There is probably no point taking this up, but you can't see any areas where Policy would be pro-active in even dealing with hypotheticals and contigencies? Unless you want to argue that it is possible to react to a hypothetical future contigency.

All rat plagues are local.

CAFTA

Agree with her or not, I tend to think that Dowd is about the only female Op-Ed columninst worth reading.

Foreign Policy is inherently reactive unless you make a state your puppet? The US is constantly exerting external pressure on foreign nations in ways that are unilaterally beneficial, potentially bilaterally beneficial, and often multilaterally beneficial, (such as creating common markets).

Or if the funeral home business and tire business share naming rights it could be: Amigone and Dunn Stadium.

Who taught you that?

As a kid, I overcame chicken pox and spanking. One Christmas I wanted a bicycle, and I didn't get it. I overcame an environment filled with Irish people, and cousins were dying all the time. People looked at us funny because nobody in my family could sing well in church, and because my mom was a LPN, and dad only bought used cars. Once you live through the crucible, you're as hard as flint.

Geez. When you put it in perspective like that, it is a little bonechilling.

How big is the hole? The Abbot and Costello defence strategy is to hit each one over the head when they pop out of the hole in single file. Sometimes the old methods are best.

Don't worry, they are trying to do it with the world's largest post hole digger. They are at least 6 years away.

Yes. The Society can be a real pain in the ass.

True.

It is one of the only good hands he has left these days. Rove has never believed in moving to the middle to form consensus (which means negotiation) but in polarizing, etching out a slight advantage, and operating from strength. That is how he won in 2004 - he got the most polarizing issue on the ballot in all the battleground states- gay marriage. He knows that Hillary is the most polarizing figure post election - so he'll talk her up as much as he can.

Getting a good demographic sample in that theater must be a nightmare. Zobgby is usually pretty good, but for most good polling there is a high percentage of spoiled samples or interviews that are abortive. Interviewers are tough to control in a situation like this.

I think it is an interesting strategy by Rove. He starts Hillary speculation early which heightens awareness of her Senatorial actions and probably leads to Hillary fatigue by 2008. The man knows what he is doing. Shine the spotlight on her this early and it is hard to sustain and keeps buzz low if she comes out while trying to solidify the already polarized numbers. Damn he is good.

I give up drinking every Lent. Except for St. Patrick's Month.

Bin Laden is probably very ambivilent about dogs: "If someone keeps a dog neither for hunting, nor for guarding livestock, the reward (for his good deeds) will be reduced by two Qirats per day."" Now if you are his lapdog, in a way you are stickin it to the !@#$er's afterlife Anyhoo, I do think Bush has done a lot to prevent anti-muslim sentiment from turning violent domestically.

much more time than I would like to be.

What's funny about a man wanting others to try his favorite sausage?

I think the last politician of any stature that advocated the strict position was Tomiichi Murayama, who was elected Prime Minister in a coalition government and backed off the strict Socialist party interpretation. The Japanese are highly adept at systematizing any such contradictions. They are a pacifist country with a kick ass Navy.

I am hoping the bills can trade down in the round and get an additional 2nd or 3rd round pick, along with a later first round pick. And yes, I don't want anything sexy, just line help.

I think a provocation that intends to produce some type of standoff, draws additional US military assets into the theater, with the intentional of exploiting any riffs this may create. Most Japanese believe that the SDForces have the right to respond to, but not initiate war. Such an act of agression would result in some type of Japanese reponse (they have some surprising capabilities), but most likely would result in a blockade of everything but humanitarian aid, the freezing of all N. Korean assets, (which are considerable in Japanese banks), and some right wing rhetoric. (which the Koreans would try to exploit).

I don't think they could. It would have to be something as quick as blowing up a few frigates, or something where they acted without Chinese knowlege in an immediate response to some fabricated trasgression.