News Items

Commentary on the stories that catch my eye today:

• "Syrian officials salvage Hamas, Abbas meeting" - folks, when you need to rely on Syria to smooth things over, you're in a world of trouble. The Assad dynasty in Damascus is no ally of peace. That the factions in the Palestinian government are turning to Syria reveals just how terrible the situation for them actually is; generally if two political parties are having issues, a quick phone call and maybe some emissarial massaging of concerns is all it takes to get things back in line. But needing Syria? Yipes.
• "Former Liberal adviser said he did no real work" - that's only slightly less damaging than the work Scott Reid and the TV ad advisers did during the last election. Not only did the adviser not do work, he's come to even regret knowing Paul Martin (who is sporting what appears to be a lovely orange bandana in a photo accompanying the story) "as a person." Ouch. And the Liberals are made about the work Wajid Khan did for Stephen Harper?
• "Australian officials pay private eyes to have sex with prostitutes: report" - let me get this straight: in seeking to gather evidence as to why brothels should be shut down (which should be in ready abundance, I would think), they actually contribute to business remaining open and in operation. Vile.
• "Pakistani Role Seen in Taliban Surge at Border" - those wonderful "allies" of ours are at it again, putting Canadian and other NATO forces at risk of suicide bombings at the hands of a despicable regime that is seeking to turn Afghanistan's clocks back a few centuries. Someone please tell me again why Musharraf & company get to go on the "good guys" side of the ledger?
• Dems: Clinton or Obama? Reps: Giuliani or McCain? - new poll up over at the WaPo has the frontrunners for 2008, at least in the minds of leaning voters. Hilary is way ahead of Obama, and Rudy's lead over McCain is about 7 points. If you like folks from New York, this may be the election for you!