:: Event Horizon ::

:: Saturday, February 01, 2003 ::

Shuttle Columbia Breaks Apart in Flames
Does anyone know if the shuttles have a black box? The official reaction is that terrorism is not suspected and early indications point to problems with the descent angle, but I have to admit, this is very suspicious. What are the chances that the shuttle Columbia would explode on the week of the anniversary of the Challenger disaster, with the first Israeli astronaut onboard, and over Palestine, Texas? This could all be mere coincidence, of course, and we may never know for sure, I'm just saying that it looks suspicious. I hope the investigation process can rule out sabotage.

:: Joel 9:20 AM [+] ::
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State of the Union
Ok, some initial reaction. Bush presented a much more subdued performance than I had anticipated. I think this worked well, I'm sure we are all a bit tired of the bellicose rhetoric, so the somber tone and quiet confidence were fitting to the tenor of the times. I also liked the ambitious scope of some of the new programs he proposed, particularly the AIDS initiative for Africa and the funding for hydrogen powered cars. That is something to really fire the imagination and certainly fitting for a State of the Union address in the early 21st Century. I was disappointed that he did not lead with foreign policy and immediately address the situation with Iraq. I know that was what I was most eager to hear about, and I can't help but think of the large international audience being subjected to the details of American domestic policy before getting to the issues of war and peace. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, I was looking forward to details and facts to back up American suspicions of Iraq's weapons program, but those details were not forthcoming. However, I was greatly encouraged that Bush has decided to let Colin Powell offer these details to the Security Council next week. I'll be looking forward to that.

Bush Invents New Ism, World Stunned
Finally, I have to ask, Hitlerism? A good headline for this would be, "Bush Invents New Ism, World Stunned." What was the logic of using this term in the speech, instead of Nazism? Was Bush or his speech writer trying to draw some profound distinction between National Socialism and Hitler as a leader? If so, then why not substitute Stalinism for communism, which he also mentioned? What bothers me about this is that there is no such thing as Hitlerism. There is no such Ism in the catalog of Isms and he can't just make up a new Ism for the sake of having an interesting speech. Nazism is perfectly acceptable, Churchill used the term frequently in his speeches, so I'm at a loss to explain this new Ism. Perhaps it was simply a Bushism?

:: Joel 3:06 PM [+] ::
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Just the Facts
So, today is the day. President Bush is set to deliver his State of the Union address to Congress tonight. Former presidential speechwriter Peggy Noonan has some cogent comments on it and I have to say that I agree completely with her. This is the time for Bush to back up the rhetoric on Iraq with some hard facts. I hope that Bush will break tradition and share intelligence data with the American people. Yes, we know that we suspect Iraq has been developing weapons of mass destruction, but the American people and our allies need to know the basis for those suspicions. If Bush does not do this, then I hope he does not use WMD as a basis for going to war. There may be other reasons for going to war, legal justifications, but none so persuasive as proof that Iraq has defied the international community and continued to arm itself with WMD. I will be watching closely tonight to see if such proof is forthcoming.

:: Joel 11:54 AM [+] ::
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Key Dates
The AP has compiled a list of key dates that suggest that this week will be very important for the United States. The UN weapons inspectors give their report to the Security Council today, followed a day later by President Bush's State of the Union address to Congress, which is followed by a session of the Security Council to formally consider the report, and the week concludes with a meeting between President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair at Camp David. We may know by the end of this week whether the UN weapons inspectors will be given more time to hunt for weapons of mass destruction or if the United States intends to wage war against Iraq.

:: Joel 9:33 AM [+] ::
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