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Clarke’s fiction
Former counter terrorism czar Richard A. Clarke's new book, "The Scorpion's
Gate" sees Clarke using fiction to demonstrate that only he has the true
vision of America’s policy concerning the War on Terrorism.
The
NY Times review puts it this way:
Why has Mr. Clarke turned to fiction as a venue for his arguments? No doubt
it's a way to say - or imply - things about the Bush administration that he
can't quite come out and say in an essay, as well as a way to satirize the
intelligence bureaucracy and neo-conservative policy making. It's also a way
for Mr. Clarke to dramatize his arguments and try to reach a broader
audience.
As the opening chapter of "Against All Enemies" (which provided an insider's
account of what happened at the White House on 9/11) demonstrated, Mr.
Clarke has a flair for creating vivid, you-are-there narratives, but "The
Scorpion's Gate" still reads like a journeyman effort: there are awkward
passages of exposition shoehorned into the early portions of the story and
stilted conversations meant to convey key information to the reader.
Although one of Mr. Clarke's heroes, Rusty MacIntyre, is a credible enough
creation, most of his characters have the cardboardy feel of generic figures
in a thriller. The action sequences, based on Mr. Clarke's knowledge of spy
tradecraft and military maneuvers, are decidedly more gripping, though even
they pale in comparison to the real-life drama of terrorism, governmental
bungling and bureaucratic infighting that the author laid out in his
nonfiction account of 9/11 and the war against Iraq.
New Hampshire plan
New Hampshire Democrats are proposing their own plan for the 2008
presidential calendar that would leave Iowa and New Hampshire first, closely
followed by a couple of contests in states with more diverse populations.
The
Associated Press reports:
"We need to decrease front-loading, increase diversity, recognize Iowa and
New Hampshire laws and traditions and have a calendar that will let us elect
a Democrat to the White House," said Kathleen Sullivan, chair of the New
Hampshire Democratic Party. She said her state's proposal would limit the
number of early contests while assuring diversity. The populations of Iowa
and New Hampshire are predominantly white.
Rove & Time
The
Washington Post reports that Senior White House Advisor Karl Rove wasn’t
indicted in part because of Rove’s attorney sharing information gathered
from a Time magazine reporter:
Viveca Novak, who has written intermittently about the leak case for Time,
has been asked to provide sworn testimony to Special Counsel Patrick J.
Fitzgerald in the next few weeks after Rove attorney Robert Luskin told
Fitzgerald about a conversation he had with her, the two sources said.
It's not clear why Luskin believes Novak's deposition could help Rove,
President Bush's deputy chief of staff, who remains under investigation into
whether he provided false statements in the case. But a person familiar with
the matter said Luskin cited his conversations with Novak in persuading
Fitzgerald not to indict Rove in late October, when the prosecutor brought
perjury and obstruction-of-justice charges against Vice President Cheney's
former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.
Note: Viveca Novak is not related to Robert Novak who first broke the news
that Joe Wilson’s trip to Niger was arranged by his wife Valerie Plame who
works for the CIA.
Democrat ethics problem
The
Associated Press reports on how lobbyist Jack Abramoff handed out checks
to supporters of his Indian causes:
A lawyer for the Louisiana Coushatta Indians told The Associated Press that
Abramoff instructed the tribe to send $5,000 to Sen. Byron Dorgan political
group just three weeks after the North Dakota Democrat urged fellow senators
to fund a tribal school program Abramoff's clients wanted to use.
Democrat Dorgan received $20,000 from Indian tribal interests after writing
the letter of support. Others receiving like funding where according to the
A.P.: Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont.; Sens. Trent Lott, R-Ten.; Mary Landrieu,
D-La.; Harry Reid D-Nev.; and John Breaux, D-La.; and Reps. Tom DeLay,
R-Tex.; Charles Taylor, R-N.C.; and Pete Session, R-Tex.
Democrat plumbers
"Schumer’s Plumbers" – That is what Rush Limbaugh is calling two Democratic
Senatorial Campaign Committee staffers who worked for Senator Chuck Schumer.
The two are accused of illegally obtaining the credit report of a Republican
candidate for the Senate.
The Democrat’s Watergate style tactics were aimed at Maryland Lieutenant
Governor Michael Steel, a Republican candidate for the Senate who is an
African American. He is seeking to replace the retiring Paul Sarbanes.
Democratic Senate Campaign Committee research director Katie Barge – who
came to Schumer directly from the liberal George Soros-funded website Media
Matters – and staffer Lauren Weiner used Steele’s Social Security number,
reportedly obtained from court records, to "fraudulently and illegally
obtain his credit report," according to Investor’s Business Daily. Schumer
chairs the DSCC.
Steel has endured racial epitaphs thrown at him by Democrats.
Abortion before High Court
USA Today reports that New Hampshire’s parental notification law is
before the U.S. Supreme Court:
To some, a never-enforced New Hampshire law requiring parental notification
before a minor has an abortion is a backward step for women's rights. To
others, it protects parents' right to know if their child is having an
abortion.
The U.S. Supreme Court will consider those arguments Wednesday as it begins
to weigh whether to reinstate a law that requires parental notification 48
hours before an abortion can be performed on a woman under the age of 18.
Democrats to New Orleans
The Democrat National Committee announced that they will be holding their
first major mid-term meeting of nearly 400 individuals in New Orleans next
year. The meeting is scheduled for April 20-22, the weekend of the French
Quarter Festival.
"We are deeply committed to the resurgence of New Orleans. And we've been
looking for ways to help in tangible ways," said DNC chairman Howard Dean
said.
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