| The Kensington Review |
15 August 2005 |
| Latest Commentary: | Volume IV, Number 97 |
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Washington Lowers War Expectations -- War is politics by other means, according to Clausewitz, and not just getting there “firstest with the mostest.” This was, of course, something the neo-cons in the White House and elsewhere in the corridors of power thought they understood, but did not. The US was never going to lose the Iraq war militarily, but the policymakers in Washington have just about guaranteed a political loss when measured by war aims. A report in Sunday’s Washington Post says even the White House is defining victory downwards.
Iraqi Constitution is Not about Iraqis -- Sometime today, the committee that is drafting a constitution for Iraq is supposed to submit its work to the Iraqi parliament for approval. A great deal of discussion about it featured in yesterday’s talking head TV shows. Not one of the illustrious pundits, from the American Ambassador to Iraq (who hit every show he could) to Democratic Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, pointed out that the constitution is being drafted not for the benefit of the Iraqis but for the benefit of the Bush administration. Google Pauses in Book Scanning Project -- Google is taking a 3-month break in its scanning of copyrighted books to allow the holders of the copyright to register their protest and keep their material out of the company’s searchable database. However, the company says it will continue to make such material available otherwise. Google Print, as the project is called, stands copyright law on its head, but it may well be the best way for publisher’s to ensure they get paid in the day of the internet. Premiership Season Begins, World Cup Looms -- Soccer returned to England this last week-end; the Scots are already three games into their season; and Brazil reaches the halfway mark in their season right about now. The beautiful game never really goes away, thanks to the teams in the southern hemisphere playing while those above the equator are on vacation. This year, though, there won’t be much of a rest at all for anybody. The World Cup in Germany next year will see to that, and it will affect a great many league decisions in a great many countries. © Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux. |
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