NIE on Iran

There has never been any “proof” that Iran was working on nuclear weapons. Instead the administration has been responding to spoken threats by Ahmacrazy.

Throw crazy at crazy and the weaker one will back off. Throw a “Oh you silly Mr. Ahmadinejad. You don’t have anything to threaten Israel with you goofy boy. I think I’ll ignore you.” and you’ll get yet another “dissed” middle easterner who has to prove his manhood and go ahead and create nukes.

You study and you study things like Middle Eastern ways of respect. Mr. Bush treats the threats from Iran with respect and now he’s the idiot? You can’t win Mr. President. You just can’t win. I’m glad you’re not bothering playing the game and instead just going about your business.

Algeria

I’m linking to this story about the suicide bombings in Algeria not because I have anything intelligent to add other than my thoughts and condolences, but because the previous name of the suspected terrorist group…….

Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC)

Say what?? Different than the Preach Salafist Group of the Combative Preachers Group apparently.

The group targeted a UN office and a bus of students. The suspects are al-Qaeda who is apparently still on it’s regime of getting “the people” to like them. ?

Great News!!

Suburu has invented a bra!

Ok, it wasn’t really Suburu, but the bra has that ‘Suburu intelligence’ built right in there.

‘Intelligent bra’ battles bounce
A bra with sensors built into the fabric could help scientists make exercise a more comfortable experience for women.
Australian researchers believe their creation will help bra makers make their future designs a better fit.

Does this mean the end of squished boobs for running?!? Hurrrah!

Waterboarding

Captain Ed has a great post based on the ABC news interview with the guy, John Kiriakou, who actually did waterboard Abu Zubaydah and is glad he did it and calls it torture.

I’m with the Captain. If Congress wants to bring it up, and they should, then they should determine what is and isn’t torture and whether it’s going to be allowed and in what circumstances IF allowed. And none of this “making it illegal but if it ends up helping then we’ll let the torturer off” sort of thing.

Kiriakou also believes that the national dialogue on the technique has been good and necessary. The decision to use this technique should come as part of policy, not as a violation of it. Congress had attached language to the omnibus spending bill outlawing it for the CIA (it already is outlawed for the Department of Defense), but the revelation that Nancy Pelosi and other critics failed to object after being briefed on the use of the waterboard has slowed the push to forbid the procedure.

Bottom line: if we outlaw the procedure, it should not be with the understanding that someone can order its use and that Congress will forgive it later, depending on the circumstances. If those who propose that as a solution believe that certain circumstances warrant its use, then they should write laws that allow it — and keep men like Kiriakou from having to determine whether to follow what amounts to an illegal order. If this Congress outlaws waterboarding, they will have the responsibility for the potential intel loss that it creates, and the damage that loss eventually does.

Useful Second Life

Otto notes that the French Navy is using it to recruit and Glenn notes that Ed Markey is using it instead of actually going to Bali for the global warming conference.