Yourish.com

Cutting straight to the point

Syria prepares for war with Israel

Posted on December 10th, 2006 at 11:00 pm by Meryl Yourish.

Filed under: Israel

Syria has moved missile batteries close to Israel. But hey, the Iraq Study Group thinks we should “engage” Syria. Talking to ‘em. That’ll work.

Brig.-Gen. Yossi Baidatz informed the government that Syria, concerned by the possibility of an Israeli attack, has stepped up its production of long-range missiles and moved anti-aircraft missiles to the front with Israel.

Meantime, suicide attack attempts continue. It’s just that the barrier, the crackdown, and the security services have all combined to reduce suicide bombings to the lowest level in years.

Turning to the West Bank, Baidatz reported that the security situation there had not changed. Attempts were still being made to launch terror attacks, he said, mainly from northern Samaria.

Yep. That wascally Sywia! All we need to do is talk to Baby Assad, and things will magically work out.

Carnival of the Cats #142

Posted on December 10th, 2006 at 4:27 pm by Laurence Simon.

Filed under: Cats

Carnival of the Cats heads over to The House Of Mostly Black Cats, and Mini is going to get lots of treats for everyone turning out today.

And let’s not forget the Catmodel of the Week…

Why, it’s Felix of When Cats Attack.

Folks who want a shot at being a Catmodel of the Week need to be a part of the banner at Carnival of the Cats. Just send me a 4 by 3 photo of your cat and your weblog link and I’ll add your cat to the banner.

Who knows… you may just see them here as a Catmodel of the Week!

George W. Bush, Super-Genius

Posted on December 10th, 2006 at 3:15 pm by Meryl Yourish.

Filed under: Politics, World

I think we’ve all been dead wrong about the Iraq Study Group. The president is a whole lot smarter than most people give him credit for, and I’m thinking he pulled one over on just about everyone.

The Iraq Study Group’s report, and the way Bush is spinning that report, seem to support a notion that we have all—conservatives, liberals, and everyone in between—been had.

Wile E. Coyoter, Super-GeniusLook at the uproar from supporters of the war, whose kindest nickname for the ISG is “Iraq Surrender Group.” Look at the plaudits for the ISG from those who want us out of Iraq immediately, and listen to the “We told you so!” editorials echoing through the mainstream media. The EU and the UN have welcomed the report, and most of the Arab and Muslim world think it’s just perfect, especially the Blame-Israel recommendations (cf. Section 4, Recommendations 15-17), including for the first time ever a U.S. call to look into the “right of return” (the concept that would flood Israel with generations of “refugees,” thus effectively ending the Zionist state). It’s a report that should please even Pat Buchanan, notorious America-Firster and Israel-hater.

The report’s been out only a few days, and the uproar has yet to subside. James Baker has managed to draw quite a lot of ire away from Bush and towards himself. Why, you’d almost think it was deliberate.

Perhaps it was. In recent days, President Bush has been referring to the report, and he’s been referring only to the parts of it that support his positions. He has yet to reference any of the parts that he disagrees with. For instance, this is from Saturday’s radio address:

I was also encouraged that the Iraq Study Group was clear about the consequences of a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq. The group declared that such a withdrawal would “almost certainly produce greater sectarian violence” and lead to “a significant power vacuum, greater human suffering, regional destabilization, and a threat to the global economy.” The report went on to say, “If we leave and Iraq descends into chaos, the long-range consequences could eventually require the United States to return.”

The Iraq Study Group understands the urgency of getting it right in Iraq. The group also understands that while the work ahead will not be easy, success in Iraq is important, and success in Iraq is possible. The group proposed a number of thoughtful recommendations on a way forward for our country in Iraq. My administration is reviewing the report, and we will seriously consider every recommendation. At the same time, the Pentagon, the State Department, and the National Security Council are finishing work on their own reviews of our strategy in Iraq. I look forward to receiving their recommendations. I want to hear all advice as I make the decisions to chart a new course in Iraq.

These don’t look like the words of a man who is going to follow blindly the advice set out in the ISG recommendations. This looks like the words of a canny politician who want people to think that he is listening to his critics as he changes his Iraq strategy, yet who has no intention of doing any such thing, let alone of withdrawing quickly from Iraq.

I think we’ve all been had, and that the Iraq Study Group was never meant to be taken seriously. Perhaps that explains the lack of depth and the keen grasp of the obvious in some parts of the report, as well as the baffling advice to engage with Syria and Iran, two nations who are supplying the money, weapons, training, and manpower for the insurgency that is murdering American soldiers, and who have no reason or incentive to stop.

Of course, I could be totally off-base. But this theory explains some of the more mystifying aspects of the ISG.

The latest edition of Shire Network News

Posted on December 10th, 2006 at 2:12 pm by Meryl Yourish.

Filed under: Podcasts

The latest edition of Shire Network News, featuring part two of the Walid Phares interview, is up.

Lair Simon’s contribution is a good one: Things the Iraq Study Group left out.

My contribution is one of my better efforts: A very little-noticed fact about the Shebaa Farms, Hezbullah, and Iran.

And by the way, you can vote for us for Best Podcast in the Wizbang Weblog Awards.

Cat links

Posted on December 10th, 2006 at 10:00 am by Meryl Yourish.

Filed under: Cats

Lair’s right. This deserves to be read widely. Even if you don’t own cats.

Ellison is a lucky, lucky man. He got to meet Piper. Wish I could say the same.

And then there’s this, Lair’s history of Piper. What a cute picture.

Misleading headline of the day

Posted on December 10th, 2006 at 8:00 am by Meryl Yourish.

Filed under: AP Media Bias, Israel

This one sent my blood pressure soaring. These are the headlines of an AP article carried by both Ynet and Ha’aretz:

Olmert says open to international force in Gaza

PM open to Italian proposal to send international force to Gaza

And then you read the article, and this is what Olmert said:

“If Italy is prepared that its army will be engaged on a daily basis against terrorist actions of Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and the other terrorist organizations operating in Gaza, this is very interesting news. I want to learn it,” Olmert said, speaking in English.

[...] “Are you ready to fight? Are you ready to sacrifice your soldiers? Are you ready to endanger your people the way we expose our people because we have no choice?” Olmert asked, adding that “If this is your policy, then we will discuss it.”

In other words, it was nothing more than diplo-speak, because the heads of nations generally don’t say, “Are you out of your effing mind?” to other heads of states, at least, not friendly ones.

Nice try, AP, and Ynet and Ha’aretz: You may want to reconsider just blindly repackaging the usual AP anti-Israel tripe.