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Bush Brings Hamas To Power in Palestine

Michael Bryan

Fatahhamas_1Bush’s self-appointment as the ambassador of democracy in the Middle East continues to misfire with the Palestinian elections handing a clear majority of 76 of 132 seats in Parliament to Hamas, which is officially considered a terrorist organization by the United States’ government and Israel, as well as the EU and Canada. Hamas also does not recognize the state of Israel and its destruction is part of the organization’s charter, as are some other choice bits that are likely to make the peace process difficult at best:

"Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it."

"There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors."

Bush is calling for Hamas to change it’s charter. Don’t hold your breath. Though Hamas has made some hints that it intends to continue to negotiate with Israel through intermediaries, it is not altogether clear that Israel will be receptive. Israeli hard-liners may use the rise of Hamas as a reason to break off all talks, likely prompting another intensification of mutual violence.

More…

George Sauders’ “The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil”

Michael Bryan

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I just finished reading George Saunder’s novella, The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil. It is nothing like what you would expect, but yet is everything you could want in a political satire for our times. Instead of rushing headlong at the subject as I am wont to do (and did do in my own novella Homeland), Saunders started from a much more exploratory place and wound up with what is essentially a Dr. Suess book about genocide.

More from Saunders on how the book was written on the flip…

Flake endorses Shadegg for House majority leader

Michael Bryan

Flake endorses fellow Arizonan for House majority leader. I don’t know how much weight this public show of support will throw, but it is certainly, to my mind a neccessary precondition to a Shadegg win. Flake is a nationally recognized spokeman for limited government and reduction of government spending and a vocal critic of ‘earmarking’. … Read more

Know-Nothing Ron Drake

Michael Bryan

Ron Drake has apparently settled upon his campaign slogan in his uphill fight against incumbent Raul Grijalva, "We Can Do Better!" Just don’t ask Ron how. As of this writing his page on "The Issues!" still says only check back soon. Wow. I gotta say I’m inspired. It’s clear that what Ron is saying to … Read more

The Wall

Michael Bryan

Richard A. Clarke’s “The Scorpion’s Gate”

Michael Bryan

I just finished reading “The Scorpion’s Gate” by former Terrorism Czar, and every Democrat’s favorite Republican, Richard A. Clarke. I cannot say that it was the best fiction I’ve read. It suffered far too much of the novice story-teller’s fault of filling in the gaps in the reader’s knowledge with unrealistic expository dialog which the … Read more

Graf, Tancredo, and Buchanan: Tres Banditos en Tucson

Michael Bryan

TombayTom Tancredo (R – CO) and Bay Buchanan (sister of Pat Buchanan, director of the American Cause, and the manager of Pat’s Presidential campaigns) came to Tucson on Friday in support of Randy Graf’s unending campaign for Congress in CD8. The Bay and Tom show isn’t just a one-off for Graf’s benefit though, it is a national tour called the "Secure America Now" tour. Sound familiar? It should. It taps into the same issues and supporters that Arizona’s "Protect Arizona Now" initiative did. At the breakfast one could find many of the same people who worked on PAN, not the least of which was Randy Graf himself.

"Secure America Now" is the road show for Team America, a Political Action Committee dedicated to border issues founded by Tom and Bay. Only by understanding the significance of the SAN tour and the history of the Buchanans in American politics does the full significance of the tour’s stop in Tucson really have a useful context. Randy Graf is only a small part of the story.

Bill O’Reilly Goatses Vermont

Michael Bryan

Bill O’Reilly demanded Vermonters deliver the head of a Vermont judge or face economic armageddon. He claims that what he ignorantly considers a lenient sentence requires impeachment of the judge involved. All of Vermont certainly should be annoyed, nay, cheesed at O’Lielly. That’s one state that Bill has offended irrevocably, now if we can just … Read more

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