Richard Bennett

I really enjoyed the opening night of the Republican Convention. The folks are clearly in an up-beat mood, with the President rising in the polls as the convention opens, and the opposition doing their part in the streets to make the contrast sharper for the undecideds. McCain gave a great speech making a point that gets lost too easily in politics, that the other side is actually sincere in their beliefs and feelings, so we should try and engage them in respectful dialog and all that, but he drew the line at people like Michael Moore who are disingenuous. It strikes me that he hit just the right balance there.

His explanation of the rationale for the Iraq War was sound and convincing. The idea that Saddam had been successfully contained was floated quite a bit by the other side a year ago, but it’s clear to close analysis that the containment was unraveling. Given Saddam’s history, the end of containment would have meant the start of a serious threat, so it was best to deal with him then and there. Even if a mullah-style government were to take over in Iraq — and I don’t see that as likely, just a worst-case scenario — it will still be years before its weapons program could be organized at the level that Saddam’s was right before the last days. And there are the human rights issues, as well.

While McCain gave a good, sound, sober speech that we can all identify with and be proud of, Rudy hit one out of the park, mixing personal stories with political history and the intellectual with the emotional. His was a glowing tribute to the president, from a man of enormous credibility and appeal. The cute remark about Kerry needing Edwards’ Two Americas so each of his positions on any issue could have a home was the great takeaway.

Rudy’s going to make a great president when he’s elected in 2008.

So a couple of French journalists have been taken hostage by Al Qaeda forces in Iraq in order to pressure France to revoke ban on Muslim head scraves:

But Prime Minister Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of Iraq said bluntly that the kidnapping proved that France’s position on Iraq ? presumably its opposition to the war and the absence of troops ? offered it no protection from terrorism.

“Neutrality doesn’t exist, as the kidnapping of the French journalists has shown,” Mr. Allawi said in an interview with several European and American newspapers. “The French are deluding themselves if they think they can remain outside of this. Today, the extremists are targeting them too.”

Suddenly, in France as well, there is the realization that its opposition to the American-led war in Iraq has not innoculated it from Iraqi-inspired terrorism. “Nobody is safe,” said an editorial in this afternoon’s editions of the daily Le Monde.

Freedom of religion is good, and so is a strong stand against terrorists. Good luck to the Froggie journos, and may Allah bless them. Turkey has banned head scarves for years, BTW, but the terrorists know better than to mess with them.

Lefty columnist Marc Cooper is dismayed by the Naomi Klein piece romanticizing Al Sadr in The Nation:

Sadness. More sadness than anger is what overcame me when I read the latest Nation magazine column by Naomi Klein. I?ll grant it has a catchy title: ?From Najaf to New York.? But this column by Klein, who has earned the admiration of a new generation of dissidents with a notable intellectual keen-ness, unwittingly reveals the moral confusion that clouds the vision, even the rationality, of much of the anti-war movement.

Make sure you click the link above to read her entire piece and to make sure I do it justice in this critique. (Please also read Norman Geras? take on this column as well). I had several friends call me in disbelief when they read Klein’s manifesto. I read it three times to make sure I got it right.

And, alas, I can only conclude that the column is a forthright apology for the religio-fascist militias of Muqtada Al Sadr. Indeed, it?s damn near a call for the peace movement to join in solidarity with his Mahdi Army.

The loon who mentioned it in my comments should read this.

DNC talking points blogs Atrios and Marshall are all a-goggle over a video featuring disgraced Texas politician Ben Barnes, who claims to be the guy who got W. a spot in the National Guard. There are a couple of things to know about Ben, who is known in Texas as “Horny Ben” due to his fondness for a bit of strange on the side: 1) he’s a life-long Democrat; and 2) he’s a crook who was hounded out of office by the infamous Sharpstown Scandal in 1971.

Would a disgraced Texas poltician try and curry favor with his party in order to do better as a lobbyist? You bet he would. Did somebody help W. get into the National Guard? You bet they did. Was his benefactor a Democrat? Maybe, but that’s asking a lot of my credulosity.

Bottom line: so what?

Evidence that LSD causes permanent brain damage.

The latest ad from Swiftvets deals with Kerry’s “secret Cambodian mission”, a mission so secret that nobody on the boat knew it was happening but the candidate. It’s pretty devastating because it features an actual crew member of Kerry’s boat. I suppose this “secret mission” must tell us something about Kerry’s “secret plan” to get French troops into Iraq.

I’ll have the French toast, please.

Link via Instapundit.

Psychiatrist Stephen Marmer weighs in on the crucial question of John Kerry’s character:

John Kerry is not Frank Sinatra. Sinatra knew who he was and was always himself — which was both a strength and a weakness in his acting career. John Kerry appears not to know who he is or who he wants to be. I have written about his chameleon qualities, how he impersonates a “man of the people” but so often comes across as faux. He cannot take personal responsibility for his actions. “I didn’t fall down, that SOB ran into me.” And “I don’t own an SUV, my family does.” He floats with the prevailing winds, as in “I voted for the $87 Billion before I voted against it.” His so-called Intelligence Committee expertise is faux. His Cambodia Christmas is faux. Perhaps one of his Purple Hearts is faux. His medal tossing caper is faux. His “outrage” at the SBVT 527 Committee is faux. His pledge not to attack President Bush for Bush’s Air National Guard service is faux… have been watching Senator Kerry I have begun to wonder whether deep down he is more imposter than real.

I’m still trying to find out what, if any, core values this character has, by the way.