Yearly Archives: 2003

The Metric System

11/6/2003 – 5:59 pm

In his “long, hard slog” memorandum three weeks ago, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld wrote, “Today, we lack metrics to know if we are winning or losing the global war on terror.” Like so many other statements in that memo, Mr. Rumsfeld’s quest for metrics reveals much about our position in the war on terror, regardless […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)

Fundamental Issues

10/30/2003 – 5:57 pm

The Islamic holy month of Ramadan began Monday, and not in the usual way. Five suicide bombers took 34 lives and wounded dozens of others. More bombings and violence followed Tuesday and is likely to continue for the rest of the lunar month. Ramadan is not supposed to be about violence, it’s supposed to be […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)

Have A Nice War

10/23/2003 – 5:55 pm

Congress has given President Bush the $87 billion he’s asked for Iraq and Afghanistan. Eighty-seven billion dollars is one of those Washington numbers that floats through the newspaper headlines without having a chance to sink into the public consciousness in a meaningful way. If you had a pile of 87 billion one-dollar bills, neatly stacked, […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)

Misapplication of Law

10/16/2003 – 5:52 pm

When people discover I used to work for Greenpeace, they often ask how many times I’ve been arrested. I never tell them. I point out Greenpeace’s direct actions are designed to go to those places where environmental crimes are being committed and bear witness to them, using cameras and the media to draw the attention […]

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The Voter’s Touch

10/9/2003 – 5:47 pm

Gray Davis is soon to be a private citizen again; Arnold Schwarzeneggar is king of California. All I can think of is Florida in 2000, when so many people thought elections couldn’t get any stranger. It seems so long ago. If November 2000 seems long ago, then Bill Clinton’s impeachment must have faded into the […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)

The Ambassador’s Wife

10/2/2003 – 9:21 pm

The Denial came Monday and that’s really when the dance began. A Washington scandal never gets its legs until there’s a good denial out there. White House spokesman Scott McClellan issued The Denial, which is too bad; it’s best if The Denial comes from the mouth of the big guy himself. Monday Mr. McClellan denied […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)

Relative Absolution

9/25/2003 – 12:20 am

Is everything relative or are there absolute truths? It’s a good question for our presidential pre-season, when we measure how short each candidate falls from our absolute ideal. Relativity kicks in during next year’s primaries, when we begin deciding Candidate A is relatively better than Candidate B.

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Comments (0)