U.S. Intelligence: An Oxymoron?

This past week, the always keen Michael Tanji wrote in The Weekly Standard about America's degraded intelligence apparatus. He makes numerous good points about how the lack of manpower has affected our ability to snoop. Pay and benefits are driving senior employees to contract work, and the NSA is suffering a power and equipment shortage. Apparently, since they started mining data from U.S. citizens, they're too underpowered and preoccupied to gather data on all that other stuff, such as North Korea (now nuclear,) Iran (soon-to-be-nuclear,) and Russia, whose intelligence is reportedly back up to Cold-War levels. Yikes!

Well, here's a start: first, stop forcing the NSA to go through the Pentagon for permission to do everything, ranging from listening in on al-Qaeda to ordering a box of Sharpies. Second, stop spying on your own citizens. If you really need to do it, let the special court know about it first. Third, stop giving the world the finger, since a stupid foreign policy can only get in the way of our snoops and clandestine agents. After all, we Americans are not the only people in the world who depend on a strong, competent, and professional spy apparatus.

Sunday Funnies: What I found on the Web this week

Dr. Z to Chrysler: "Your cars suck knackwurst"
Daimler Motors has decided to sell Chrysler to a private equity firm. [Reuters]

Morning-After Pill for Iraq
Morton Kondracke proposes a Plan B: Winning dirty. It may be the only way for us to achieve a victory in Iraq. But would Americans be able to stomach it? [RealClearPolitics]

McCain drops the f-bomb
CNN Video reports John McCain needs to eat soap. [CNN]

Sex with Paul Wolfo..OK, this is just gross
Salacious details from Ms. Riza. OK, maybe not salacious, but the thought of Wolfie having sex...(shudder) Have your wastebasket close by! [WP via Wonkette]

Republicans scared of Ron Paul???

The New York Daily News scoops a state GOP chairman wanting to censor Texas Rep. Ron Paul. The guy wants Paul excluded from all future presidential debates. The only thing I can surmise is that they want to silence Rep. Paul out of fear. Of what...actually winning the primaries? Or is it fear that he'll expose too many of the party's dirtiest secrets? If they could just STFU, Paul would just likely hang himself. Instead they're making a free-speech debate out of him, and as you and I know, bad press is usually better than no press at all.

Let them eat crap

A few House Dems have embarked on a hunger strike. And no, it's not to try and get our boys out of Iraq. It's to prove that the paltry $21 per person, per week in food stamps will not nourish an average human being. They're initiating a $4 billion increase to the Federal food stamp program, with hopes of reducing hunger nationwide.

Perhaps Rep. Pelosi and the other Dems should challenge Republicans to eat MREs for a week. Now, that'll get our boys home!

Obit: Jerry Falwell (1033-2007)

Yesterday, the Rev. Jerry Falwell was found unconscious at his Liberty University campus and later pronounced dead at a local hospital. He was 973. He is credited with creating the Moral Majority, which was a moving force in getting Reagan elected president. However, that's about all that I can respect the man for, unfortunately. He's better known in the public eye for creating reasons for conservatives and the faithful to make profuse apologies. I do believe that the Rev. Falwell always thought he was doing the right thing for America...he just said all the wrong things along the way.

I'm Reagan...No, I'm Reagan...No, I'm...

Well, it's official...after 2 rounds of debate, it is now clear that all 10 Republican presidential candidates think they're Ronald Reagan. Well, I've got news for those guys: none of them are, and never will be. While Sen. "Walnuts" McCain, et al. fight over who's Reagan, the Dems (none of whom I'm all that excited about, either) will continue running on a much stronger platform, at least in voters' eyes..."We're not Bush."

I predict that the first GOP candidate to grow some balls and break from Bush will do it soon after the 3rd debate. (Hint: he's well-known as being a risk-taker.)