- In a major setback to making the peace in Northern Ireland permanent, the IRA has withdrawn it's offer to disarm.
- U.S. human rights lawyers ask German court to expand war crimes probe of U.S. officials to include Alberto Gonzales.
- If China shuns dollar, look out U.S. Bonds, says Bloomberg.com, as Chinese economist tells World Economic Forum "The U.S. dollar in our opinion is no longer a stable currency."
- Turkey slams US for failing to curb Iraqi Kurds over possible attempts by Iraqi Kurds to take control of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and make it the capital of a future independent Kurdish state.
- Half of all U.S. bankruptcies are caused by soaring medical bills and most people sent into debt by illness are middle-class workers with health insurance.
- President Bush has been keeping a "war on terrorism scorecard" in his desk drawer and using it to cross off photographs of al-Qa'eda and Taliban leaders as they have been killed or captured.
- Old soldiers don’t fade away. What legacy will the volunteer troops now fighting in Iraq give to future generations? A bleak one, according to The American Conservative magazine.
- Target Iran - How likely is a US first strike during Bush's second term? The signs are ominous, say many pundits.
- A new human rights report shakes down the sole remaining rationale behind Bush’s invasion, showing that pre-war policies of indiscriminate detention, beatings and lack of due process are alive and well in "free" Iraq. Plus ca change, plus ce la meme chose.
- When President George W. Bush sends his budget to Congress on or about February 7, look for "guns vs. butter" to make a comeback.
- Just how much power will the new Iraqi government really have? Amendments to laws passed by the US occupation authorities can only be passed with a three-quarters majority of the National Assembly as well as the unanimous support of the Presidential Council.
- From the Ayn Rand Institute's Capitalism Magazine comes this article; "Bush's Betrayal of America: The Iraqi Elections". Wow, even the ultra-right hate him now?
- For the sake of completeness, here is the CNN transcript of Bush's State of the Union address from tonight.
Quote of the Day:
Heat and animosity, contest and conflict, may sharpen the wits, although they rarely do; they never strengthen the understanding, clear the perspicacity, guide the judgment, or improve the heart.
Walter Savage Landor
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