WHO NEEDS A CZAR?
As Tony explains here, the just-passed intelligence reform bill is a dog’s breakfast. The best news about its passage is that Duncan Hunter (House Armed Forces Committee Chairman) managed to neuter it at the last moment. By inserting the wording that the NID - the new National Intelligence Director or Intelligence “Czar” -- in carrying out his duties "shall respect and not abrogate the statutory responsibilities of the heads of the departments," Duncan made sure that a good General Counsel from a subordinateAgency/Department can drive a Humvee through an NID directive if need be. --JWSo it is to be a Czar of all the Intelligence Services. All the president's men have engulfed the remaining opposition to the intelligence reform bill and seen it passed with strong bipartisan support. Like its namesake, The Czar of all the Russias, our new czar is likely to begin what will become a very mixed record.
ON A ROLL FROM KABUL TO BAGHDAD
I had a chance to visit with Porter Goss after he returned from Afghanistan last week. He was there to make personally sure everything was solidly OK for Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld to attend Karzai’s inaugural in Kabul.He got the biggest kick when I told him there’s a name in town for what he’s doing to the CIA: Gossification. I got a big thumbs up when I said, “Now we have to make sure Condi gossifies the State Department.”Then he gave his assessment of how we’re doing in Afghanistan: “Jack, I’m telling you, the place is humming, it’s sizzling. People have so much energy, they are so excited about their future. We have a fantastic success story in the making here, a tremendous victory for America and for the Afghan people. Funny how you never hear about it in the media, huh?”Yes, big surprise to the both of us. All we hear about is the latest disasters in Iraq, and nothing about Afghanistan any more - because we’re winning.Porter easily read my mind. “You know, Jack, it’s going to be the same in Iraq. We’re winning - and the media can’t stand it that we’re on a roll from Kabul to Baghdad.”
CONSERVATIVES ON THE NILE
Liberals live in Egypt - on a river called Denial. Yes, it’s an old joke - but it’s to emphasize that there will be no liberals on this adventure. This coming Easter Vacation, I will be taking two dozen conservatives - conservatives only - for a cruise on a luxury yacht to experience the splendor of the Nile. Specifically timed for the week prior to Easter - March 17 to March 26, 2005 - so parents can bring their children, we cruise and dine in luxury while visiting the temples of Karnak and Luxor, the Valley of the Kings with the Tomb of King Tut, the Temple of Horus at Edfu, Aswan and the colossal statues of Ramses and Nefertari at Abu Simbel. In Cairo, we stay at the Four Seasons. Of course we visit the Pyramids, the Sphinx, and the Egyptian Museum - but also Memphis, the capital of Ancient Egypt, and the Step Pyramid of Zoser I at Saqqara (the world’s oldest large stone structure built 5,700 years ago) as well. We’ll have dinner with Egypt’s leading conservative intellectual, Dr. Tarek Heggy, receive a private briefing at the American Embassy, meet with the leaders of the Coptic Christian community, and pray in a Coptic Christian church on Good Friday. By Saturday evening you’ll be back in America to wake up at home on Easter Sunday. Only eight couples and families will be able to accompany me and I am giving first priority to Members of To The Point. Such priority will not last long. The opportunity to participate in this memorable adventure will soon pass. To register, contact us at [email protected]. I know you have promised yourself that “once in my life” you’ll cruise the Nile and see the Pyramids. To be a part of this special experience with your fellow conservatives, we urge you to contact us immediately. The full itinerary, lots of pictures, and booking information can be found at the Wheeler Expeditions website ( www.wheelerexpeditions.com. Just a few days ago, I received a very interesting memo from my contacts within the Egyptian government. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, I’m told, is determined to achieve a breakthrough in Egypt’s relations with Israel, both politically and economically. This is part of Mubarak’s goal for Egypt to have a 21st century economy and peaceful political system. There couldn’t be a more important or exciting time to visit Egypt. I hope you’ll be able to join me to be one of the Conservatives on the Nile.
A STORY ABOUT SHARING
Computers are so much a part of life. You use them at home and work; maybe you even use a laptop. Chances are your kids have a computer for schoolwork. And of course, you've got a printer. If this is the kind of setup you have, you may be a candidate for a home network.
SOLVING SOCIAL SECURITY AND ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AT THE SAME TIME
When I mentioned to Interior Secretary Gale Norton at the White House Christmas Party this week that she was the key to solving Social Security and US energy independence - both at the same time - you can imagine how much her eyes widened. “I am?” she responded with wonderment and her beautiful smile."You sure are," I said. "Here's how..."
THE END OF THE LEFT’S HISTORY
The hysterical reaction of the Western Left to the reelection of President George W. Bush is not just a primal scream from politicians and intellectuals deprived of political power. The violent language, numerous acts of violence, and demonization of Bush and his electorate — the same as that directed against Tony Blair in Britain, Jose Maria Aznar in Spain, and Silvio Berlusconi in Italy — portend a more fundamental event: the death rattle of the traditional Left, both as a dominant political force and as an intellectual vision.
SHAKESPEARE IN VENEZUELA
While the focus of the world is on Ukraine, Putin’s Russia, Iraq, nukes in Iran, et al, it has become obvious to a small number of folks in Washington that the world’s most dangerous man is not in any of these places and is off most everyone’s radar scope: Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.Imagine Fidel Castro in the prime of his life with billions of dollars of oil money. Given his pathological hatred of America, what do you think he would spend his money on? Suppose he thought the President of the United States was trying to knock him off - how do you think he would respond?
LAPTOPS, CONTINUED
The main reason I’m researching laptops right now may seem trivial. My favorite caf� in Jerusalem, Aroma, now has WiFi. One important issue is what to do if your system develops a problem. On a desktop, if your system fails, you would likely just reformat your hard drive and reinstall Windows, after making sure you had taken all the precautions I explained in previous columns. It can be a lot more difficult for a laptop.
WINNING THE FUTURE
This is the transcribed text of a speech Newt gave to a private meeting of conservative leaders I attended in Washington last week. --JW Thank you very much. This is a very important group which is a big part of how we ended up beginning to be - I emphasize beginning to be - the natural governing majority of the country and so it’s a thrill for me to be here.I want to give you a very brief outline and then I’m going to take questions for most of my time because just looking around the room I know how many interesting personalities are sitting out here. It’ll be more fun to interact with all of you.Here’s my outline. I have a book that’ll be coming out next month called Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract with America It makes the following core argument: that we are entering the fourth cycle of a growing conservative movement. The first cycle was Reagan defining the majority. The second cycle was the Contract With America creating the majority. The third cycle was President George W. Bush deepening and reaffirming the majority. The challenge now is to have this fourth phase growing the majority out so it becomes a more natural governing majority.
THE TYRANNY OF CHINA’S HISTORY
Chinese, written and spoken, is my candidate for the weirdest major language on earth. At the Monterey Institute, where US diplomats are taught foreign languages, it takes on average 600 hours of instruction to be fluent in a European language such as French or German, 1200 for Arabic - and 2400 in Chinese. (This means, of course, that for China and the world to communicate, Chinese must speak English, as the world will never speak Chinese). Beyond the technical difficulties lie far deeper problems, resulting in a grossly myopic view of China’s history and future. The one buried most deeply is the way Chinese grammar reverses time: the past, in Chinese, is in front of or before you, while the future is behind you. Chinese culture is oriented towards the past, reading Chinese history through a distorted lens, and stubbornly attempting to apply illusory lessons to the present. This is precisely what China’s military and government leaders are doing with their strategy towards America.