Author Archives: Soccerdad

About Soccerdad

I'm a government bureaucrat with delusions of literacy.

Popular vote

Interesting. Right now at 8:48 PM, McCain actually leads the popular vote 50 – 49. Still, I’d like to see some more states for McCain. Michael Barone wrote out the optimistic scenarios for each candidate. With Pennsylvania apparently gone (even … Continue reading

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Pennsylvania called

Not good. Update by Meryl: I’m not going by calls until I see some actual vote results. Pennsylvania is still in play, as far as I’m concerned.

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Begin again

Tzippi Livni mocks the return of “Benny” Begin to the Likud. “We are actually in a situation in which the Right wants to put a stop to everything and the Left may want to give up everything,” she said. “However, … Continue reading

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Yossi we hardly knew ye

In a too generous retrospective of Yossi Beilin’s career, Ethan Bronner writes: For the last two decades, the easiest way to invoke dovishness in Israel has been to utter the words “Yossi Beilin.” The politician who navigated mutual recognition between … Continue reading

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Endorsements

With the help of Meryl and a number of other bloggers, I put together an endorsement roundup.

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Israel’s calm, that’s not good

Having done all they can to ensure the election of their preferred here, the editors of the Washington Post turn their attention to the next election, Israel’s in A Middle East Vote. Let’s skip to the end: Thanks to the … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Israel Derangement Syndrome, Israeli Double Standard Time, Media Bias | Tagged | 4 Comments

Running interference for Rashid

The Washington Post which has devoted an editorial to debunking Jim Corsi but never one to dispel scurrilous attacks against the Republican ticket has now come off the sidelines to weigh in on the Rashid Khalidi controversy in An ‘Idiot … Continue reading

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Bazaar advice

In his column yesterday, Thomas Friedman wrote: Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, compares it to bargaining for a Persian carpet in Tehran. “When you go inside the carpet shop, the first thing you … Continue reading

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The doctor’s unpleasant medicine

Helena Cobban is shocked: Since when is it okay for a state (or an individual) to set out to kill a person based solely on accusations against him that have never been publicized and have never been tested against even … Continue reading

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Israel’s strategic environment

Gen. Amos Gilad gives an overview of Israel’s strategic environment. Currently, Israel is living in a relatively good strategic environment. We are not facing imminent war and have not faced a hostile coalition since the 1970s. We seem to have … Continue reading

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The campaign and israel: take 3029

Last week Gallup released a poll showing that American Jews support Sen. Obama by a margin of 74 to 22. But if you look at the breakdown at the end, the October results were recorded over a shorter period of … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Politics | Tagged | 2 Comments

Syrian strike

The New York Times reports on yesterday’s raid into Syria and concludes: The United States is trying to negotiate a strategic agreement with Iraq that would allow American troops to remain in the country and carry out military operations. The … Continue reading

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If you’re not angry you haven’t been paying attention

I’ve the bumper sticker with the phrase “If you’re not angry you haven’t been paying attention” around a bit over the past few years. I’m assuming it’s an anti-Bush mantra. I think that it’s wrong in that case, but it’s … Continue reading

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First blood

Former National Security adviser, Robert MacFarlane wrote about the attack on the Marine barracks in Beirut and its aftermath. Apparently, the United States had a response planned against Hezbollah targets in the Bekaa Valley, but it was aborted. Cabinet officers … Continue reading

Posted in Lebanon, Terrorism | Tagged | 5 Comments

Ya think?

Ad Week recently had a featured article on one of the most successful advertising campaigns in history. But coverage of McCain has been heavily unfavorable—and has become more so over time. In the six weeks following the conventions through the … Continue reading

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