World

Endgame Viable 14 January, 2010 at 12:05 AM 0 words

140 entries. 35,899 words.

December, 2005

How To Read Op-Ed Articles. 2005-12-30 4:47 PM.
- Blog
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I’ve recently added some “controversial” feeds to my news reader (by which, I mean political and religious-themed topics) to broaden my knowledge base. I’m intentionally trying to add feeds that give arguments from opposing viewpoints (ie. conservative vs. liberal, intelligent design vs. science, etc) in the hope that some median truth might come forth. 653 words.

January, 2006

Iran Not Quite All There. 2006-01-10 3:58 PM.
- Blog
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I couldn’t find anything particularly noteworthy to mock in this morning’s blogosphere, but I did come across a rather frightening article about Iran’s president (Iran leader’s messianic end-times mission). The more I read and hear about Iran and their president, the more frightening that situation gets. Mr. Ahmadinejad sounds a bit like a loose canon. 120 words.
Iran Seeks Answers. 2006-01-31 6:35 PM.
- Blog
- thomaskrehbiel.com
“I am not making this up.” Here’s some cheery news from Iran: Iran Invites Blair to Holocaust Denial Conference. Yes, you read that right. Iran is holding a conference to “scientifically” determine the facts about the Holocaust. 82 words.

February, 2006

No Humor Required. 2006-02-02 5:13 PM.
- Blog
- thomaskrehbiel.com
And you thought Christianist fundamentals were bad. Check out Storm grows over Muhammad cartoons. 205 words.
Send More WalMarts. 2006-02-05 10:03 PM.
- Commentary
Oddly enough, I agree with GK’s assessment about Those Cartoons. Muslim protesters, carrying signs about slaying and butchering Europeans while burning down Danish consulate buildings, are not exactly painting their culture in a very positive light. Muslim leaders, too, are suspect, as this opinion piece in the Daily Telegraph points out: The complained-of cartoons first appeared in October; they have provoked such fury only now. As reported in this newspaper yesterday, it turns out that a group of Danish imams circulated the images to brethren in Muslim countries. When they did so, they included in their package three other, much more offensive cartoons which had not appeared in Jyllands-Posten but were lumped together so that many thought they had. 246 words.
Tacky Cartoon Resignation. 2006-02-08 3:30 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I can’t find much of anything to write about today except the Danish Cartoon Incident and the Coretta Scott King funeral. And there’s not much to say about the funeral except that it was awfully tacky of Democrats to use it as a political soapbox. So… 290 words.
Drawing The Line. 2006-02-09 6:28 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I think it’s about time to draw a distinction between sensitivity toward religion and denial of information. So many MSM reports about the Danish Cartoon Incident contain disclaimers that say, “we will not show the cartoons because they aren’t relevant to the story,” or something like that. Then they go on to describe the cartoons as “offensive” and run a lot of quotes from outraged and insulted Muslim leaders over the horror of it all. 498 words.
More Cartoon Musings. 2006-02-13 7:21 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I continue to muse about the Danish Cartoon Incident, which is growing into a full-scale Cartoon Intifada (uprising). I don’t like link-fests, but here are some recent articles on the subject that I’ve found interesting. 542 words.
Saddam\’s Trial. 2006-02-14 6:11 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
This is only tangentially related to the culture war, but how much longer will Saddam be allowed these ridiculous childish outbursts? (See Hussein throws tantrum on return to court and Hussein: I am on hunger strike.) I can’t recall a more laughable “trial” in my lifetime. Does anyone actually think Saddam–the same guy who always did anything to save his own skin–will starve himself to death? 132 words.
Cartoon Intifada Part Of The Project?. 2006-02-14 6:21 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Warning: If you are already bummed about where the world is heading, do not read this. 460 words.
Abuse Photos. 2006-02-16 9:03 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Another tough day to find anything to comment on. Muslim protesters continued to protest, and “journalists” kept trying to uncover a Cheney scandal. 303 words.
Tuesday Smorgasbord. 2006-02-21 8:12 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
A smorgasbord of topics today as I sit here in agonizing pain from a strained neck muscle. 591 words.
Quick, Grab A Thesaurus. 2006-02-24 6:20 PM.
- Blog
- thomaskrehbiel.com
One thing I find amusing about the media, and now the blogosphere, is the number of different ways that writers say the same thing. No writer wants to sound like he’s plagerizing someone else, so the result is often a hilarious variety of randomly mixed-up words from a thesaurus. Here’s a selection from bloggers talking about the bombing of the Golden Mosque in Iraq. 211 words.
Friday Smorgasbord. 2006-02-24 8:44 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
No one story has jumped out at me today, so here’s a link-fest of random cultural interests. 362 words.
The Terminology War. 2006-02-28 9:03 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
By Thomas Krehbiel 528 words.

March, 2006

Zogby Poll. 2006-03-02 8:21 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
This isn’t really cultural, but Mrs. Krehbiel wanted to make sure I didn’t miss Zogby’s survey of U.S. troops: A Letter From The Troops. 432 words.
Islamic Law & Order. 2006-03-10 4:23 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
From Michelle Malkin: Free Muhammad Al-Asadi. Malkin discusses a Yemeni newspaper editor facing a potential death sentence for publishing those Danish cartoons (he covered them with big black X’s and condemned them, too, but that doesn’t seem important to the prosecutors). Here’s the part I really enjoyed. 129 words.
Eskow and Hitchens Have It Backwards. 2006-03-16 8:57 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Part 3 in a Special 4-Part Series: Random Thoughts Of Thursday 127 words.
Christian Faces Death In Afghanistan. 2006-03-21 5:05 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
This story has been making the rounds in the last couple days: An Afghan man, Abdul Rahman, is on trial for converting to Christianity and faces the death penalty if he doesn’t repent. This is a rare story that is uniting bloggers from both the left and right in their wondering about how this reconciles with the new and improved “democratic free people” of Afghanistan we’ve all been told about. The story is also a nice reminder of why strict Islamic law should not be allowed to spread. 169 words.
Civil War or No Civil War?. 2006-03-28 6:38 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
With everyone trying to define exactly whether Iraq is in a “civil war” or not, as if the label should somehow affect our opinion of what goes on there, I thought it would be a fun project to see how many Americans are murdered every day in our country. I think we can all agree that there is currently no civil war in America, but most people recently have been citing “dozens of Iraqis” dying every day as an irrefutable measure of a civil war. So let’s see how the numbers stack up. 459 words.
Borders and Waldenbooks: Dead To Me. 2006-03-30 5:44 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
In the wake of today’s announcement that Borders and Waldenbooks will not stock an issue of Free Inquiry magazine because it shows some of those Mohammad cartoons on its cover (uh.. I dunno where I read it, just look it up on Google News), I will no longer be frequenting their establishments. (Not that I ever did before, but that’s beside the point.) Take that, you stupid lemon-eating Sharia-lovers! 69 words.

April, 2006

On Kerry\’s Iraq Plan. 2006-04-05 8:01 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
HuffPo’s been awash with celebrity bloggers today: John Kerry: A Plan for Getting Iraq Up on Its Own Two Feet. 299 words.
No Love For South Park. 2006-04-06 6:12 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I haven’t read a word in any of my daily blogs today about South Park, which is weird. Not too long ago, every conservative blogger in the world was constantly harping about the “creeping Sharia watch.” (Liberal bloggers ignored the whole thing.) Anything even remotely related to a Muslim forcing prehistoric Islamic laws on the rest of us was major, major news. So last night South Park, the only show I’ve seen that even comes close to touching this subject, runs the first of a two-part parody about the Cartoon Jihad and nothing? 268 words.
Malkin Grudgingly Approves Of South Park. 2006-04-07 7:08 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Malkin finally jumped on the bandwagon today: South Park And Cartoon Jihad. I think I see now why conservatives have been so slow on this – it must really infuriate them that South Park, of all things, is leading the charge against worldwide dhimmitude, while their own efforts so far have produced bupkis. :) 54 words.
What Would Cenk And Bob Do?. 2006-04-11 4:19 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
No doubt you’ve heard about this past weekend’s articles from Seymour Hersh and The Washington Post, exploring the possibility that the Bush administration is planning nuclear strikes against Iran. 743 words.
What Would Cenk And Bob Do? (Part 2). 2006-04-12 2:57 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Mrs. Krehbiel noted that I didn’t provide a comprehensive solution to the Iran crisis. 446 words.
Cartoon Wars, Part II. 2006-04-13 5:42 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I’ve been trying to research whether Comedy Central actually did censor Mohammad in last night’s South Park. Fortunately, National Review Online did so for me, and it sounds like Comedy Central did, in fact, refuse to show it, which is a huge relief. I was pretty annoyed when they blacked out Mohammad (especially since he was “just standing there looking normal”) and I would have been really super annoyed if I’d found out that Matt and Trey had censored themselves. 80 words.
Reframing Iranian Appeasement. 2006-04-13 6:01 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Here’s another HuffPo attempt to “reframe” Iran as the victim of BushCo’s aggression: Bill Scher: Reframing The Iran Debate. This one, at least, presents some supporting evidence, but ultimately I didn’t find it very compelling. 598 words.
Cenk Stinks. 2006-04-14 3:29 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
More impassioned pleas for Iranian appeasement from HuffPo: Cenk Uygur: If You Liked the Iraq War, You’ll Love the Iran War. 612 words.
Reminder: Iran Deadline Looms. 2006-04-26 6:26 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Lest we forget about Iran in the midst of our Pain At The Pump(TM): Iran ‘will harm U.S. if attacked’. This Friday, the IAEA will be reporting back to the UN about whether Iran is going to comply with the UN’s demand that they cease their enrichment program. I think you can guess what the report is going to say. 266 words.

May, 2006

Atwar Bahjat. 2006-05-08 7:24 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
(See Atwar Bahjat, Revision 2 above.) 296 words.
Atwar Bahjat (Revision 2). 2006-05-09 1:23 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
(Forgive me while I experiment with different ways to revise blog entries.) 354 words.
The Week In Counterterrorism. 2006-05-12 6:17 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Mrs. Krehbiel seemed surprised the other night when I mentioned there was evidence that the insurgency was losing in Iraq. In the conservative blogosphere, these types of news bits are reported all the time, along with the obligatory snarking that the liberal, pro-terrorist media is “suppressing” it. Personally, I just think that television media doesn’t consider anything news unless there is eye-popping video to go along with it. 331 words.
Today In Counterterrorism (15 May 2006). 2006-05-15 7:42 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
A step toward the return of U.S. troops. Since last summer, 39 more Iraqi combat battalions have been rated “Level 2,” for a total of 75 battalions. “Level 2 units gather their own intelligence, conduct their own planning and are deemed ‘in the lead’ during combat operations.” Independent Operations and the Iraqi Army. 140 words.
Where’s The Outrage?. 2006-05-30 7:58 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I guess even bloggers have a hard time getting back into the swing of things after a 3-day weekend. The blogosphere seems to be working hard to manufacture outrage today. 289 words.

June, 2006

Kabul Riot Explained. 2006-06-01 1:43 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Again I’m compelled to recommend the Counterterrorism Blog as an alternate view of sensationalized terrorism-related events in the news. They are surprisingly non-partisan and thoughtful in their reporting. They generally just stick to the facts and explain them thoroughly, which is incredibly refreshing in this day and age. 325 words.
Haditha Thoughts. 2006-06-01 7:58 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
So Michelle Malkin and her subsidiary Hot Air are still out in front on defending the marines of Haditha. Their “citizen journalism” machine is really working overtime. Oddly enough, though Malkin et al frequently cite moonbats slavering over the incident, I haven’t seen much of it myself. 274 words.
Progress With Iran?. 2006-06-03 6:35 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I’ve been encouraged by recent news regarding Iran. Russia and China appear to be getting on board with sanctions against Iran, and that’s definitely a good thing. The U.S. offer of talks with Iran – if they suspend their nuclear enrichment – is a good step. 384 words.
Zarqawi Mania. 2006-06-08 3:20 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
As I begin typing this, it’s only 8:06 AM in Virginia. Since I’m sure that Zarqawi will still be leading the news at 8:06 PM and beyond, let me be among the first to say… omg I am sick of hearing about Zarqawi already! Can’t we leave the job of making him a martyr to the jihadists?? 238 words.
Haditha Marine Speaks. 2006-06-11 3:35 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Good news from Haditha for a change: Marine Says Rules Were Followed. I’d like to officially apologize for initially jumping to the conclusion that those marines were guilty, based solely on initial media reports. (They could still be guilty, but I should know better than to rely on the media for facts.) Anyway, I’m more and more hopeful that the civilians in question were collateral damage instead of murder victims. 78 words.
Gaza Strip: No Place For A Picnic. 2006-06-13 2:22 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I really feel bad for anyone living in the Gaza strip: Beach deaths ’not Israel’s fault’. The alleged Israeli missiles that hit that beach family turned out to be.. Palestinian landmines. Palestinians should seriously reconsider their government selection. 135 words.
Why I Don\’t Think We Invaded Iraq Just For Oil. 2006-06-15 6:40 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Someone recently asked me how I could possibly believe we didn’t invade Iraq just for their oil. (You know who you are!) At the time I didn’t have a ready answer, but here’s some reasons. 776 words.
Long-Range Missiles Are So 1986. 2006-06-20 6:30 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I’ll admit I don’t know much about North Korea or why it’s part of the “axis of evil.” (Other than the information found in the excellent documentary Team America: World Police.) Maybe I should read up on that. Especially because of recent news that North Korea is getting ready to test a missile that could potentially reach the west coast. Huh? 245 words.
Cut-and-Run Iraqis?. 2006-06-27 4:32 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I don’t really feel like writing today (it’s been raining like crazy here on the East Coast, which sucks all the life out of me), but here’s a quick observation: Watching the politics of Iraq is amusing sometimes. I’m pretty sure that Republicans and Democrats and all of America want the exact same thing – for the Iraqi army to defend their own country – yet somehow it’s a divisive, partisan issue. Lately, it looks like the Iraqis might trump everyone by kicking us out. 93 words.
Don\’t Tread On Israel. 2006-06-28 3:13 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Anyone who thinks the U.S. is a warmongering power should take a look at Israel and rethink that position. It’s not very humanitarian of me, but I kind of admire them for their response to Palestinian terrorists snatching one of their soldiers over the weekend and holding him hostage. Israel basically said, “We will not negotiate – either give him back NOW or we will take him back.” And they meant it. 139 words.
Senate Debating The Wrong Metric?. 2006-06-28 6:47 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
The war in the Senate over the “war” in Iraq was about timetables – Democrats wanted a timetable, but Republicans didn’t. I think “time” was the wrong metric, though. Democrats should have been questioning Iraq in terms of “deliverables.” Ie., what exactly constitutes “victory” in Iraq? 108 words.
The Dullest Of Blog Entries. 2006-06-30 6:27 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
They say the difference between a “real writer” and a “struggling writer” is in their ability to write when they don’t feel like writing. So in that spirit, I am now writing a blog entry even though I don’t particularly feel like it and there is nothing particularly interesting to write about. 250 words.

July, 2006

North Korea Tests Catapults. 2006-07-05 6:43 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Looks like North Korea is now rivaling Iran for the Tinpot Dictator Of the Month award. But for some reason I still have a hard time taking the ol’ Democratic People’s Republic of Korea seriously. Maybe it was that whole “I’m so rone-ry” song in Team America: World Police that did it. 169 words.
Monday’s Informative Links. 2006-07-10 7:56 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Another in my new series of lazy blogging link-fests, otherwise known as “the things I didn’t have anything to add to.” Feel free to skip if you don’t care what I think is informative reading. 123 words.
Israel At War?. 2006-07-12 3:55 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
My knowledge of the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict is limited, but recent news seems to suggest that the U.S. probably backed Israel for no other reason than the fact that they were the only ones around that didn’t act like impetuous toddlers: Israel sends tanks into Lebanon after Hezbollah attack. Golly, that was a poorly constructed sentence. Thankfully I don’t use a grammar checker. 240 words.
Wednesday’s Informative Links. 2006-07-12 5:47 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I actually collected these yesterday and forgot to post them. 125 words.
Thursday’s Informative Links. 2006-07-13 7:55 PM.
- Commentary
Oh, lovely: Israel: Hezbollah plans to move abducted IDF soldiers to Iran. And: Hezbollah escalates the war in Lebanon, launches rocket attacks in Haifa. Now Bush is giving up secret wiretapping? Specter touts deal on eavesdropping review. Have aliens replaced the president? As Israel and Lebanon meltdown, there’s progress in Iraq: Transfer of Security Responsibility in Muthanna Province. A general’s review of Gitmo: McCaffery on Guantanamo, which summarizes McCaffery’s full memo. The preceding links have been deemed “not to completely suck” by Thomas Krehbiel’s patent-pending content rating system. The system rates the relative merit of Internet content in terms of originality, non-partisanship, grammar, and educational or research value. 108 words.
An Island For Israel?. 2006-07-14 7:36 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Nothing to talk about today except Israel and Lebanon. I can sum it up pretty quickly: They’re, um, shooting at each other. Again. 221 words.
Friday’s Informative Links. 2006-07-14 7:54 PM.
- Commentary
Good behind-the-scenes info on Middle East happenings: Important overlooked news on latest Hezbollah attacks. It’s always fun to abuse Ann Coulter and televangelists: Jesusless: The Church of Conservatism. Is it humanly possible to be more narcissistic than this? Woman arrested after 911 call for ‘cute’ deputy. The preceding links have been deemed “not to completely suck” by Thomas Krehbiel’s patent-pending content rating system. The system rates the relative merit of Internet content in terms of originality, irony, non-partisanship, grammar, and educational or research value. 84 words.
Israel On The March. 2006-07-17 6:51 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Guess what? Israel is invading Lebanon. Well, kind of. 275 words.
ADD Media And Belligerentive Bloggers. 2006-07-18 5:59 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Apparently an outbreak of war between two countries only warrants a few days of major media coverage. The CNN feed today mainly covered Bush’s un-newsworthy epithet and details of Westerners “fleeing” Lebanon. Pretty much nothing from CNN about the fighting itself or any of the politics surrounding it. 276 words.
Surely He Can\’t Be Serious. 2006-07-19 6:21 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I normally consider the Counterterrorism Blog an excellent source of (real) news and insights. This post is no different: The Israeli Incursion into Lebanon: Strategic Considerations. But I have to wonder about one seemingly incongruous point Mr. Gartenstein-Ross makes. 278 words.
Mathematically, Still On The Brink. 2006-07-21 5:18 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Back in March, I mathematically concluded that 117 Iraqis would have to die every day for the situation in Iraq to be correctly labeled a “civil war.” The numbers are getting close, but they aren’t there yet. According to a recent report, 14,000 Iraqis have died in the first half of 2006. That works out to an average of around, say, 75 deaths every day. 96 words.
Time To Start Wrapping It Up?. 2006-07-21 5:25 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Ruh roh: Worst Case Scenario: Hezbollah’s Conventional Forces. When Bill Roggio says the results of ground fighting between Israeli troops and Hezbollah are “disquieting,” it makes me a little nervous. According to his sources, the Hezbollah ground forces are much stronger than anyone expected. 256 words.
The Silence Of The Left On Israel. 2006-07-24 7:50 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I’ve seen some mutterings, most recently at CJR Daily, about why the liberal blogosphere is ignoring the Israel/Hezbollah/Hamas conflict going on right now. To me, it’s pretty simple, and I’m a little surprised it isn’t common knowledge. It has nothing to do with the “complexity” of the Middle East. 173 words.
Hopefully, CNN Is Just Confused. 2006-07-26 4:16 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I was home sick yesterday, and I saw a somewhat distressing report on CNN. The British anchorwoman reported that Condoleeza Rice had offered a cease-fire proposal to Lebanon that included an international peacekeeping force and a prisoner swap. Nooooooo! 142 words.
Somalia The New Afghanistan?. 2006-07-28 5:06 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Now here’s something interesting that nobody’s talking about: Somali minister assassinated. By “interesting,” I really mean “scary,” but at least it’s not the same old “more ways that the UN and the mainstream media hate Israel and love terrorists” news from the Middle East. 321 words.
Where’s An EMP When You Need One. 2006-07-31 6:51 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I was reading over this typically excellent QandO post, Israel and Qana and “net wars,” and pondering some ways to counter Hezbollah’s advantage. (That advantage being, of course, that they can kill civilians whenever they want without any consequences.) It’s looking more and more like brute force isn’t going to work in a modern war with Islamic terrorists, thanks to the ever-present international media scrutiny. 376 words.

August, 2006

Imbalance In Casualty Coverage. 2006-08-02 5:52 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
There’s been a lot grumbling in the right-wing blogosphere over how much more attention the media is paying to the civilian casualties in Lebanon as opposed to the civilian casualties in Israel. Most accuse the media of a pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic bias, as is their stock-in-trade. 163 words.
Presidential Semantics. 2006-08-04 8:02 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
The local feud between SLANTblog and Skeptical Observer has inspired me to remove the following “big name” feud blogs from my newsreader: Daily Kos, GOP Bloggers, Hot Air, Little Green Footballs, Michelle Malkin, and RedState. Daily Kos has been living in a vacuum-sealed Leiberman/Lamont bubble for months now. The other four pour out non-stop snarkiness, day after day after day after day, and it’s gotten pretty tiresome. 308 words.
Cockroach Victory. 2006-08-11 4:22 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Just when you thought there wasn’t enough propaganda in the world, here comes Hezbollah declaring victory in their little war against Israel. Not only is it a little premature, but it’s sort of like cockroaches declaring they’ve won because they survived a nuclear bomb. Their countryside is ruined, their city’s destroyed, half their population is dead, but they can still crawl out of their underground hiding places and raise their creepy forelimbs in a cheer, so they think they’ve “beaten” the enemy. 85 words.
Cease-Fire Sounds Doomed. 2006-08-14 5:14 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
News that Hezbollah has told the Lebanese army that they’ll have to pry their (Iranian) guns from their cold, dead fingers doesn’t bode too well for the cease-fire: Lebanon’s ‘real’ soldiers are put in their place. But then one might argue that there shouldn’t even be a cease-fire, because Hezbollah hasn’t returned the two kidnapped Israeli soldiers and won’t be abiding by any International laws or U.N. resolutions anytime soon, and will continue to take hostages and launch rockets whenever they feel like it. 142 words.
My Understanding Of Hezbollah. 2006-08-15 3:25 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Since I’ve thrown all the “big name” liberal blogs out of my reader, I’ve been evaluating various other left-leaning blogs, looking for one or two that aren’t so obsessed with Ned Lamont. Anyway, today I ran across this post on The Agonist: Imagine. 292 words.
The War Reviews Keep Coming In. 2006-08-15 7:19 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Bill Roggio thinks Hezbollah scored a huge victory: After Action Report: Winners and Losers in the Hezbollah-Israel War. 234 words.
Media Reports Of Lebanese Reconstruction. 2006-08-17 2:16 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I’ve seen several media reports discussing the reconstruction in southern Lebanon, all of which seem to go out of their way to mention that Hezbollah is right there to help out the poor displaced citizens with food, medicine, and money, while everyone else’s relief efforts are slow and ineffectual. The implication, of course, is that Hezbollah is a powerful organization, and much better suited to govern southern Lebanon than anyone else. 298 words.
NY Times Reports Haditha Non-News. 2006-08-18 3:14 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Blogspot readers: This was originally posted August 18, 2006, 11:14am, but didn’t make it to Blogspot the first time. 242 words.
Explicit Complicity. 2006-08-21 2:16 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I was reading a CNN story about the recent Israeli commando raid into Lebanon, and this quote jumped out at me. 134 words.
The Next Move In The Iranian Chess Match. 2006-08-22 1:36 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Let’s check in with Iran to see how the diplomacy to stop the next World War is going. Previously, the UN offered a package of incentives to Iran for them to stop enriching uranium, with the unprecedented support of Russia and China. I don’t remember ever hearing what the incentives actually were, but presumably it was good stuff. 210 words.
Bring On The Sanctions. 2006-08-23 4:01 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Great news! Iran is still leading us toward the next World War! They refused the package of incentives the UN offered for them to give up nuclear enrichment, offering instead a meaningless counter-proposal. 221 words.
A Look At Iraq, Part 1. 2006-08-23 9:07 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I’ve been thinking about Iraq lately. For some reason, this week seems like a good time to re-evaluate what’s going on there. 523 words.
A Look At Iraq, Part 2. 2006-08-25 2:28 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Last time, we learned that, for our own interests and those of the civilians in Iraq, we can’t leave until the Iraqi government can function on its own. Otherwise, we leave Iraq ripe for takeover, just like Somalia is now. 392 words.
Slow Monday. 2006-08-28 2:16 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Ye gods, there’s nothing at all to write about. The Islamic Courts Union continues to take over Somalia, making them a possible future target in the war on terror. The media continues to desperately hope that a massive super-hurricane blows into New Orleans this season. 82 words.

September, 2006

Same Propaganda, Different Week. 2006-09-05 8:12 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
It’s still hard to find anything meaningful to write about in all this political blather over Iraq. Republicans say we have to stay in Iraq to stabilize the region and fight the growing terrorist threat, blah, blah blah. Democrats say we have to leave Iraq to stabilize the region and the terrorists will die out, blah, blah blah (and, by the way, fire Rumsfeld). 114 words.
Aw, Leave The Poor Guy Alone. 2006-09-06 5:01 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
It seems like everyone thinks Donald Rumsfeld is single-handedly responsible for everything bad that’s happened over the last 5 years, and simply removing him from office will immediately restore the world to the happy Utopian paradise it was before 2001. Personally I think people are giving him a little too much credit. It’s like an owner firing the head coach of a losing football team in the middle of the season in the hope that it will “spark” the team to win more. 232 words.
Taliban Who?. 2006-09-07 6:08 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I am shocked – shocked! – that nobody is talking about Katie. (At least nobody in my daily reads.) Perhaps it’s because she behaves just like any other generic anchor chained to a news entertainment business that’s desperate for ratings. 271 words.
The Fronts Are Everywhere. 2006-09-08 4:32 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
President Bush has been pouring on the rhetoric lately and claiming that Iraq is The Front in the global war on terror, or something to that effect. I think that’s a bit misleading. I agree that it’s one of the fronts in “the war,” but I think there are quite a few other fronts, too. 118 words.
Who Broke Up With Who?. 2006-09-19 5:55 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Looks like the media focus for today is the important topic of whether or not President Bush will get into a fist-fight with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the hallways of the UN. Serious Jerry Springer fans want to know. 143 words.

October, 2006

Musharraf On Tour. 2006-10-03 6:48 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Pakistani President Musharraf has been making the talk show rounds on his book tour lately. (One has to wonder how the president of an entire country has the time to write a book and go on a tour, or why he would need the money or the publicity, but that’s a different story.) He seems like a nice man and an intellectual on television, but who knows what kind of person lurks behind that quaintly amusing accent. He’s said more than once that the deal he made with the Taliban in Waziristan is in everyone’s best interests, and that the Taliban will uphold their agreement to end violence, but Bill Roggio observed otherwise yesterday: Pakistan’s Problems in Waziristan and Beyond. 136 words.
North Korea Back In The News. 2006-10-10 4:39 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Last we heard from North Korea (or, as the bloggers have suddenly started calling it, NoKo), they were test-firing medium- and long-range missiles over the Japan Sea. (The long-range missile failed.) Now, apparently they’re exploding nuclear weapons underground. There is some question from seismologists about whether it was really a nuclear explosion and not just a conventional explosion, though. 215 words.
New Study Hard To Believe. 2006-10-11 3:04 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
There’s this new study out that claims 655,000 Iraqis have died because of the war, where it was previously estimated to be somewhere around 50,000. I find it rather hard to believe, especially considering their method of research: Walking around to private homes and asking the people that live there. Human nature dictates that people always exaggerate, and I’m quite sure that the average person doesn’t keep accurate records of the number of people dying around them anyway. 135 words.
Kinda Small For A Nuke. 2006-10-16 5:43 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
According to FOX News, the U.S. is now confirming that North Korea did in fact detonate a nuclear device the other day. (There was some question about it before.) They say it was around 1 kiloton, though, which is really small for a nuke. (For comparison, Hiroshima was 13-16 kilotons and Nagasaki was 20-22 kilotons, and the B83, currently the most powerful U.S. nuke, is 1.2 megatons, or 1,000 times more powerful.) That may sound like it’s no big deal, and from a military standpoint, it isn’t. 168 words.
Fretting Over North Korea. 2006-10-18 7:48 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
The solution to North Korea remains elusive, and the situation appears on-pace to escalate into a really, really bad scrum someday. Most liberal blogs advocate abandoning the six-party talks and negotiating with them one-on-one, but I fail to see how that’s a position of strength, or how that would solve anything. (Besides, that’s apparently what Clinton did, and it didn’t work either.) It sounds more like giving in to a toddler throwing a tantrum to me. 207 words.

November, 2006

Kerry’s Unfortunate Misstatement. 2006-11-02 2:18 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
This is old news now (or should be, at least), but I couldn’t post yesterday. 365 words.
Last Stand In Somalia. 2006-11-03 4:21 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
While everyone here is busy making nasty political ads, Bill Roggio reports that Somalia is about to fall completely into the hands of the bad guys: The Somalia Showdown. 150 words.
Random Post-Election Thoughts. 2006-11-13 7:10 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Thank God it’s over. 217 words.
A Dissertation On The State Of Iraq. 2006-11-21 6:34 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
It’s almost impossible to imagine a satisfying result in Iraq anymore. 1,563 words.
Tuesday Links. 2006-11-28 5:29 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I’m weary of opining, so I’m going to fall back on throwing out some links to stories that I found informative. 196 words.

December, 2006

More Republican Distractions. 2006-12-06 6:04 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Perhaps this is another example of the Bush administration trying to distract attention away from Iraq: On the same day that the Iraq Study Group is releasing its uber-hyped report advising a withdrawal from Iraq by 2008, CNN is spamming the news that Vice President Cheney’s lesbian daughter is pregnant. Oh, those tricksy Republicans. 70 words.
The Agonist Goes All Wacko. 2006-12-13 6:08 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
This is an outrage: Sovereignty and Somalia. I’m appalled that The Agonist is trying to characterize the Islamic Courts Union’s takeover of Somalia as a good thing. More than that, he’s saying it’s good for the people of Somalia. 223 words.
Crooks and Liars and Elves and Unicorns. 2006-12-30 3:54 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
The occasion of Saddam’s largely meaningless demise gives us at least one colorful example of extreme partisan blogging from the left: The Farce Goes On. 391 words.
On Riverbend. 2006-12-30 10:39 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Alice and Mrs. Krehbiel both took me to task for criticizing Iraqi blogger Riverbend, so I went and read over some of her blog today. I have to somewhat shamefully admit that I haven’t read her work in a while. 423 words.

January, 2007

Year End Loose Ends: Haditha. 2007-01-01 3:06 AM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I’ve been meaning to write about this for some time, since it was a story I was following with some interest throughout the year. I read recently that four Marines involved in the alleged killing of 24 civilians at Haditha are now being charged with murder. 348 words.
Year End Loose Ends: Somalia. 2007-01-01 3:11 AM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Somalia seems to confirm that Iraq is the model for warfare of the future. 407 words.
Iraq versus Highways. 2007-01-08 5:24 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I keep telling people that serving in Iraq is probably safer than driving to work on Interstate 95 every day, but nobody seems to believe me. 56 words.
On Indonesia And The 10% That Support Suicide Bombings. 2007-01-10 6:20 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I mentioned in my last post that I didn’t know much about the state of terrorism in Indonesia, so I did a little web research. 694 words.
Something Less Confrontational: The Speech. 2007-01-11 8:53 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I was sick of hearing about the President’s stinkin’ speech several days before it was even delivered, and the speech blogstorm is mostly over by now anyway (that speech was soooo 12 hours ago!), so I’m not going to add much more about it. 367 words.
Theories About Bush’s New Way Forward. 2007-01-13 1:41 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
The pundit shows have been hammering the same message over and over again, which is basically, “Bush must be insane to threaten Iran and Syria.” Democrats and even some Republicans appear to be conveying the same message. 627 words.
Oh My, A Chinese Satellite Killer. 2007-01-19 1:03 AM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Wow, I just saw this: U.S. official: Chinese test missile obliterates satellite. That’s some scary stuff right there. The only consolation is that it only has a 25% success rate so far. 126 words.
Semantics Over Candles And Signs. 2007-01-20 11:20 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I’ve criticized the CASTLE bloggers (aka. oasis + launchpad) a lot lately so I figure it’s only fair that I also say I approve of their campaign to use candles and signs to show support for the troops, as reported in the Staunton News Leader: Candles support troops; signs call for victory. There’s not a thing wrong with it, and I applaud their conviction. 428 words.
Civilian Reserve Corps?. 2007-01-25 3:50 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
One other part of the State of the Union address that jumped out at me was the president’s call for a Civilian Reserve Corps. 365 words.
Virginia Guardsmen Fall. 2007-01-25 6:56 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
It’s been reported in the local news a lot, but it’s well worth noting again that two of the twelve soldiers who died in the Black Hawk helicopter crash near Baghdad this past weekend were Virginia Guardsmen: Va. copter-crash victims recalled. 145 words.

February, 2007

Eric Cantor: Not My Fault. 2007-02-13 12:52 AM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Still in a busy work cycle, so not much time for blogging. I know it’s a bit late for this, but since Eric Cantor is my representative, I should probably make a comment about his antics on Hardball last week. My comment is: Don’t blame me – I voted for the other guy. 162 words.
Virginia Marine Falls: Lance Cpl. Daniel Morris. 2007-02-22 1:09 AM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I’m embarrassed at how late I am to mention this, but here goes: This year I’m trying to do what little I can to honor fallen soldiers from Virginia by making a brief note about their passing. It’s not nearly as much as they deserve. 158 words.

March, 2007

Webb’s Bill And Iran. 2007-03-05 11:41 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I heard on the radio this morning that Sen. Webb (D-VA) introduced a bill that will prevent the President from going to war without Congressional approval. Of course, as the story unfolded throughout the day, it turned out that Webb’s bill will just prevent the President from using the 2002 Iraq authorization for action against Iran “in some cases,” which is quite a bit less bold than the 2-second morning radio sound bite led me to believe. (FOX News has more on the story.) I don’t disagree with the idea, though I have my doubts about it passing in the current political climate. 321 words.
Virginia Fallen: Staff Sgt. Robert Stanley and Sgt. Michael C. Peek. 2007-03-08 5:53 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I’m continuing to briefly mention fallen soldiers from Virginia as my own personal homage. I heard about these on the radio this morning. 146 words.
Roggio’s Daily Reports. 2007-03-16 8:49 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I’ve always enjoyed Bill Roggio’s counterterrorism blogging efforts–he’s one of the very few bloggers I would actually consider calling a journalist. He’s now writing daily Iraq reports for The Weekly Standard blog. I recommend reading them; his reports are always full of good nuts-and-bolts information that you hardly ever hear from the more sensationalistic, sound-bite-oriented news outlets. 157 words.
Don’t Forget About Iran. 2007-03-26 7:48 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Seemingly lost in the midst of Gonzales-gate is the recent abduction of 15 British sailors by Iran. Iran claims the British were in Iranian territory, while the British and Iraq claim they were in Iraqi waters. (Not to scare anyone, but the incident sounds vaguely reminiscent of the impressment of American sailors by the British which eventually led to the War of 1812. 213 words.

April, 2007

Nancy Pelosi Talking To Syria??. 2007-04-04 4:08 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I’ve tried to give Nancy Pelosi the benefit of the doubt, since she’s the first woman speaker and all. I didn’t make much of a fuss over that Big Tuna incident where she allegedly exempted one of her constituents from having to pay the federal minimum wage. I didn’t say anything about her demanding a huge, expensive, gas-guzzling military jet for her and her entourage to fly around the country in. 178 words.
Virginia Fallen: Staff Sgt. Jason Arnette. 2007-04-09 7:44 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
As usual, I’m very late on this, but I wanted to briefly mention: Amelia County native Staff Sgt. Jason Arnette was killed by an improved explosive device in Iraq on Sunday, April 1, 2007. From the Times-Dispatch: ‘“He not only gave his life for his country, he died doing what he wanted to do,” his mother, Michelle Arnette, said last night from her home in Amelia.’ 90 words.
Followup On Nancy Pelosi In Syria. 2007-04-10 8:02 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I wanted to follow up real quick on Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Syria. I took Alice’s advice and read a little bit from Media Matters on this subject and did indeed find that Republicans and talk radio/talk blogs were (imo) blowing things way out of proportion. They probably still would be if it weren’t for the Don Imus “controversy.” 199 words.
World Intellectual Property Day. 2007-04-26 2:01 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Happy World Intellectual Property Day! The theme this year is “Encouraging Creativity,” so I’m celebrating by creating the intellectual property you are reading right now. By the way, if you think America is going overboard celebrating World Intellectual Property Day, check out Uzbekistan: They have activities planned for an entire month! 51 words.

May, 2007

Partisan Bickering Stinks. 2007-05-02 8:57 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m weary of all the partisan games over the Iraq “war” funding bill. Both Republican and Democratic legislators alike are acting thoroughly childish, imho. 154 words.
Virginia Fallen: PFC Murphy, SSG Kiernan, SGT Cauthorn, SGT Frazier. 2007-05-16 2:19 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I heard on the radio this morning that a soldier from Lynchburg, Private 1st Class Chris Murphy, was killed in the ambush that also resulted in 3 kidnapped American soldiers. From the Times-Dispatch: “He was very dedicated to this,” she said. “He said he had made the right decision and was thinking of making a career of [the military].” 229 words.
Virginia Fallen: PFC Gautier, CWO Moore. 2007-05-25 6:01 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I’m not quite sure why I keep doing this. It’s actually quite depressing, but it feels wrong not to make an effort to shine a little bit of light on the people getting killed over there in Iraq, regardless of one’s political views about the situation. 248 words.
Early Retirement. 2007-05-30 1:16 AM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Cindy Sheehan has “resigned” as the face of the anti-war movement, two days after announcing that she left the Democratic Party. 190 words.

June, 2007

So Much For The Hamas Government. 2007-06-19 7:48 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I’ve been focused a lot on Virginia lately, so I haven’t paid much attention to anything going on in the rest of the world. However, I did note that the Fatah-Hamas Palestinian government imploded, to the surprise of, um, nobody. For reasons that are not terribly clear to this writer, Hamas started taking over Fatah government buildings in Gaza, then Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas declared a state of emergency and dissolved the Hamas government. 124 words.

July, 2007

North Korea Tardy. 2007-07-02 9:58 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I saw this last week: Back in February, North Korea agreed to shut down its nuclear reactor within 60 days in exchange for economic aid. It’s now June and the reactor is still running, though it should be turned off “within a few weeks.” Government operations are not known for promptness, but surely they should have found the “off” button by now? Okay, it’s probably more complicated than that, and granted, there was some kind of hold-up with some North Korean money being frozen by the U.S. (I hope we didn’t give them any counterfeit $100 bills by mistake, hyuk, hyuk). 136 words.
Media Accidentally Reports Fiction In Iraq. 2007-07-03 10:34 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
QandO has an important observation about terrorist propaganda and the news media. A few days back there was a story about 20 beheaded men found near Baghdad. QandO reports that the MNF-I (Multi-National Forces in Iraq – that’s the good guys) investigated and found the story was completely false, yet several news outlets reported it anyway (including CNN, as you can see from the link). 170 words.
Haditha Testimony. 2007-07-18 10:06 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I saw a post go through the Virginia blogosphere yesterday declaring that the “Haditha hoax is falling apart.” It turns out this was actually the declaration of noted journalist Rush Limbaugh, after having read some opinion column at a newspaper nobody has ever heard of. I have also seen several reports this year from a place called “NewsMax” repeatedly stating that the Haditha Marines will be exonerated any minute now, but I haven’t given them much credence since the NewsMax organization has a very clear bias in this case. At any rate, the accumulation of conservative-themed rumors finally inspired me to investigate what we really know about the Haditha case. 480 words.

August, 2007

Barack and Pakistan. 2007-08-02 11:08 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Note: I think it’s about time for me to declare blogging bankruptcy. I am defining this somewhat like email bankruptcy, except it is a declaration that I will never, ever be able to find time to write polished blog posts on the subjects running around in my head. So I’m going to revert to a more stream-of-consciousness format. 164 words.
Regarding The Surge. 2007-08-07 9:02 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
Regarding the recent surge in good news about the surge that I keep hearing about, how will we know it was the surge that worked and not simply the passage of time? The answer, I suspect, is that politicians and pundits will tell us so, which is not much of an answer. But if that will allow us to finally declare victory in the “war” that we decisively won over four years ago, I’m all for it. 106 words.
What If The Surge Is Working?. 2007-08-28 11:23 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I didn’t think the surge would do much good, but there is growing momentum for thinking that it is. And believe it or not that’s a Good Thing. Whether it’s real progress or just the media saying it’s progress, the results are basically the same (for us): We win the information war, America looks good, the terrorists look bad, our soldiers are winners instead of losers, etc., etc. I have little doubt that Petraeus’ September report will show that the surge is working, because really, what other report would he give? 236 words.

September, 2007

Redacted. 2007-09-06 1:02 AM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I have mixed feelings about this upcoming Brian De Palma movie Redacted that everyone’s talking about (by everyone I mean some pro-war activists, who are raving about how De Palma should be locked up for treason). The film supposedly dramatizes the real-life incident of former Pfc. Steven Green planning the rape and murder of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl. 386 words.
On Ahmadinejad Speaking at Columbia. 2007-09-25 10:22 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
President Ahmadinejad Delivers Remarks at Columbia University 228 words.

December, 2007

NIE About Face. 2007-12-07 6:03 AM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I haven’t read that NIE report, but it seems awfully strange that our intelligence community has made a complete 180-degree reversal of their findings about Iran. Also, I can’t help but recall that the intelligence community was duped by Sadaam into thinking Iraq had WMD… it seems possible that Iran is duping the same intelligence community into thinking they shut down their nuclear weapons program. 65 words.
U.S. Intelligence Pwned?. 2007-12-11 3:00 AM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
It seems that Great Britian shares my concern that Iranian counter-intelligence pwned U.S. intelligence when the NIE declared that Iran stopped their nuclear weapons program in 2003. This quote is funny: “[A British source said,] ‘It’s not as if the American intelligence agencies are regarded as brilliant performers in that region. They got badly burned over Iraq.’” 57 words.

February, 2008

Afghanistan Update. 2008-02-02 1:40 AM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I heard a researcher from the Counterterrorism Blog on the radio this morning talking about Afghanistan. Apparently the Taliban fighters are conducting their own “surge” there. He also discussed the continued lack of freedom and human rights in the post-Taliban Afghanistan – in particular he mentioned a journalist who was sentenced to death for circulating a flyer asking why women couldn’t have multiple husbands under Islam. 104 words.
Iranian Test Missile. 2008-02-10 4:58 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I heard about this alarming story in passing on WRVA the other day, so I did a little digging to find out what really happened. As far as I know, this story was wholly ignored by American media in the face of Super Tuesday. 169 words.
Fidel Who?. 2008-02-20 2:56 AM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I don’t know why we’re supposed to hate Cuba and Fidel Castro so much. Whatever caused this lingering animosity happened way before I was born, and all that’s left now is a vague sense that today we’re supposed to celebrate the news of the official end to Castro’s regime. I realize they’re godless Communists and all, but I was born too late to really appreciate the Cold War thing. 115 words.

April, 2008

The Post-Surge Plan. 2008-04-10 2:36 AM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
A BBC headline (“US ‘must suspend’ Iraq withdrawal”) reminded me that we have yet to hear the most important part of the surge plan: What’s the plan now that the surge succeeded and the extra troops are leaving again? What have we gained if Iraq descends back into violence again? At that point, withdrawal isn’t a question of surrendering to terrorists, it’s a question of surrendering to incompetence in the Iraqi leadership. 164 words.

May, 2008

Burma. 2008-05-12 2:47 AM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I haven’t read any Virginia aggregators in a while (what my wife aptly calls “aggravators”), so I pulled one up this morning out of curiousity, and the very first post I saw annoyed me: The Warmongers on the Left: “Is it time to invade Burma?” 205 words.

July, 2008

NanoPost: Commanders On The Ground. 2008-07-31 10:18 PM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
It occurs to me that there is a serious flaw with politicians deferring to military commanders on the ground when it comes to Iraq: It undermines the principle that the U.S. is a civilian government. This isn’t Burma, after all. Obviously you want military commanders leading military campaigns… but foreign policy? 72 words.

August, 2008

Russia fighting Georgia for Ossetia. 2008-08-09 1:58 AM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I heard a microscopic blurb on the radio this morning about violence between Russia and Georgia. The radio guy talked about missiles and fighting and troops and then went right on to discuss the opening ceremonies of the Olypmics or something, leaving me totally in the dark about news that sounded pretty freakin’ serious. Why do they even bother? 184 words.

October, 2008

India Launches Moon Mission. 2008-10-23 1:36 AM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
This is nifty: Indian Moon Mission Launched. Glad to see that somebody is doing something productive for the human race. This news surprised me because I can’t remember hearing about any other space flights to the moon since, you know, the 1970s. 73 words.

January, 2010

Random Observation about Human History. 2010-01-14 12:05 AM.
- Commentary
- thomaskrehbiel.com
I often read the “on this day” section of Wikipedia just out curiosity. It occurred to me one day that, according to the “on this day” records, not much happened before around 1500 A.D. 247 words.