The New Boss Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karami resigned under pressure from the masses demanding Democracy, then took it back, then resigned again after failing to put together a new government that would assure elections in May. Now, a newly appointed Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, has managed to do what Karami couldn't, or wouldn't, do.
"This is a government that harbors no grudge against anyone, and it marks the beginning of building the future," Mikati told reporters after talks with President Émile Lahoud and the Parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, at the presidential palace.
Nice, but what about elections?
Mikati told reporters Monday that the main goal of the government he was trying to form would be "passing the election law and holding general elections within the constitutional time-frame." It was the first time Mikati had specifically mentioned the May 31 deadline.
Sweet.
Hopeful as this is, some analysts believe that even with successful elections, the umbilical that joins Syria to Lebanon will be a long time fading.
Even if Syrian troops and intelligence units are out, Damascus would continue to have considerable political weight in Lebanon through its allies in the Lebanese presidential palace, security forces, leftist parties and Parliament. Moreover, Syrian intelligence has established, in nearly three decades of presence in Lebanon, a solid infrastructure of informers, safe-houses, communication lines and secret operatives stationed throughout Lebanese territories, ready to perform a wide-ranging scope of missions. Moreover, quite a few officers within the Lebanese Army and security forces have had training in Syria and owe favors to Syrian counterparts. The Lebanese opposition has expressed strong concern over the credibility and loyalty of these few security chiefs and has been pressing for their resignation.
And why did Syria decide to leave?
According to some senior Syrian officials, Damascus is concerned that it might be the target of a design by Washington to topple the Syrian regime. This fear of Washington's "ill-intentions" was the main drive behind the decision to pullout from Lebanon in line with UN Resolution 1559, in order to avoid being accused of defying the international will and subsequently coming under sanctions or even a possible U.S.-led offensive like the one carried out against Iraq in 1991.
Imagine that? Evil regimes respond to the threat of force being used against them. Whodda thunk?
Exit Strategy Finally, the US has announced a plan to to withdraw froma country it has invaded. After sixty years of "occupation" the US is leaving Germany.
The United States will reduce the number of American ground soldiers stationed in Europe to 24,000 from the current 64,000 troops within the next five to 10 years, a U.S. Army spokeswoman said here April 12.
The proposed troop reduction would result in only four of the 13 main operating bases remaining. The four bases would be Wiesbaden, in central Germany, which would become the European headquarters for U.S. ground forces, Kaiserslautern in western Germany, Grafenwoehr in southern Germany and Vicenza in northern Italy, according to the spokeswoman, Elke Herberger.
The number of U.S. Army barracks and installations would drop from 236 to 88 with the reorganization, according to the American Army in Europe Web site.
The U.S. Army is involved in a major redeployment in Europe so it can reassign soldiers back to the U.S. or else to Eastern Europe.
About time, eh?
Crash Landing Air America has declared an in-flight emergency. No, they haven't been hijacked by terrorists, well maybe they have, but that doesn't seem to be a problem for them. What is the problem? Well what do you think? Nobody is listening.
look at Air America's ratings: They're pitifully weak, even in places where you would think they'd be strong. WLIB, its flagship in New York City, has sunk to 24th in the metro area Arbitron ratings — worse than the all-Caribbean format it replaced, notes the Radio Blogger. In the liberal meccas of San Francisco and Los Angeles, Air America is doing lousier still.
Worse than the all-Carribian network? Say it ain't so.
So why do liberals fare so poorly on air? Some on the left say it's because liberals are, well, smarter and can't convey their sophisticated ideas to the rubes who listen to talk radio.
Yeah, that's probably it...
Former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, whose own stint as a talk-show host was a ratings disaster, gave canonical expression to this self-serving view. Conservatives "write their messages with crayons," he maintained. "We use fine-point quills."
Can I wear pajamas while I scribble in crayon?
Banned Al-Jazeera has been banned. No, not in the US. Not even in Europe. It's been banned from the airwaves in Iran.
Iran suspended the nationwide operations of Arab TV broadcaster Al-Jazeera yesterday, accusing it of inflaming violent protests by the Arab minority in its southwest, state-run TV reported.
First bloggers, now al-Jazeera. Gee, you think it was a fascist state or something.
Oh, wait....
Voices from the Right
Jay Sekulow is best known as the nation's top legal advocate for all causes Christian. But on this sunny afternoon, broadcasting from a basement radio studio a block from the U.S. Supreme Court, the booming voice of religious liberty is making a case for moderation. On the air is Tom from Texas, calling for a nationwide campaign to impeach judges who make "outlandish rulings." Sekulow cuts him short. "You can't impeach a judge just because you disagree with their decisions," Sekulow admonishes. "I don't think that's wise."
Hey wait!? I thought the Christian Right and Republicans hate the Judiciary.
Of course Democrats forget when the beloved FDR tried to pack the Supreme Court after the thwarted his attempt to impose fascism on American society by gutting the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933.
The facts are, of course, both sides cry "Judicial Activism" when they lose a case that was intended to promote their agenda and never when they win such a case. This is not to say that Judicial Activism has not occurred; just that it is more rare than some would have you believe.
