|
 |
Friday, January 16, 2004 |
 Google listed my Saddam capture pics on the first page of its results on almost all search results of the topic. Later today, my site didn't show up on any of the results. LOL.
8:52:26 PM 
|
|
How do I buy this? It was shown at the Pentagon (probably not to those that are decision makers).
8:28:48 PM
|
|
The press totally missed the story about Bush's space initiative. It is a corporate welfare effort for Raytheon and Boeing. Nothing more, nor less. Not a true breakthrough like a $1 b Xprize for a man/woman on the moon for a year. BTW, a sad aspect of the plan was that our partners in the International Space Station weren't even consulted. They read about it in the papers.
5:11:32 PM
|
|
Sub zero temps for the second time in one week. I wish that I had spent more $$ on insulation for my home. I did do something smart: I bought underfloor heating for my garage. Nothing better than getting into a warm car during sub zero mornings.
4:42:33 PM
|
|
Wow. RSS in government. Didn't know about these feeds. This is very much like 1994-5 when we were watching sites turn the lights on.
4:36:46 PM
|
|
WP. Zogby poll has Kerry in lead in Iowa.
4:08:58 PM
|
|
Reuters. Two interesting tidbits. The turks balk at an ethnic federation in Iraq:
Meanwhile Turkey's powerful military sought to influence the future shape of Iraq, saying it believed a federation in neighboring Iraq based on ethnic lines -- meaning Kurdish autonomy -- would be "difficult and bloody."
And Bremer goes to the UN for help with al-Sistani:
After meeting with Bush and his top foreign policy advisers, Bremer will to go the United Nations to seek help on Monday. Adnan Pachachi, current president of the Council, would like the U.N. to intervene in the showdown with Sistani.
The big drivers here is a fear and desire of Shiite dominance. The Kurds and Sunnis don't want it. The US doesn't want it. Al-Sistani and the Shiites want it. Frankly, the end result will probably be a loose confederacy or three different nations. The Shiites and Kurds will end up with all of the oil. The Sunnis will be out of luck. Getting from here to there will be a bloody and arduous process. To prove the point: does anybody think that Yugoslavia could have been held together? No. Too much water under the bridge. Too many divisions. Unfortunately, sometimes people need to bleed out their differences.
3:19:54 PM
|
|
Looks like CNN finally got the Saddam capture photos too. They didn't cite the source. LOL. Webloggers win this round (who says we don't have sources or can break stories).
3:01:57 PM
|
|
NS. LinDVD for instant on PCs. Actually, a very stable and fast-to-boot media "mode" for my laptop and desktop PCs would be great. I would use it. Looks like we may see it on Sony and IBM PCs (if they are smart).
12:04:30 PM
|
|
The US military is still talking about Baathist holdouts as the problem in Iraq. I see something different: a civil war in the making. Lots of old scores to settle. Lots of money (read Oil) and power at stake. Years of repression to redress.
There are so many fault lines in Iraq that it will be impossible for the US to differentiate between friends from enemies. This is a gray-zone. It is something that the US military (and our leadership) has historically had severe problems with. In the gray-zone of Iraq, good and evil are terms that get you into trouble.
A good example of this is the arms length negotiations with Ayatollah al-Sistani over how Iraq should be democratized. The US's Bremer and his staff have never met him face to face to talk about the US plan. The intermediaries we have sent to talk with him have their own agendas and may not be on our side. Al-Sistani has publicly opposed the plan. He is an unknown quantity. Is he a friend or foe? Is he neither? Do we even know? If his actions lead to a boycott of the US plan and a government isn't formed this year (or next), do we treat him (and his supporters) as an opponent?
8:54:11 AM
|
|
© Copyright 2004 John Robb.
|
|
|
