What Are They Thinking?

While it isn't always difficult to come away perplexed from looking at the Left and also the MSM, what we are witnessing now may be beyond compare. If this is the news and political silly season, someone needs to tell Iran, who crossed a bold red line in nuclear development today ... as well as radical Muslims who continue their assault of personal liberty around the world. And what was the MSM and the Left doing?

The press was trying in vain to make hay over an unfortunate hunting incident - and with a seventy something year old man just out of intensive care, Dana Milbank of the WaPo decides to dress up like a clown on National TV. It's fair to ask the question, if they don't take the story so seriously, then why waste an entire White House press session trying to make it appear so. This does not compute - see Michelle Malkin for the video.

Captain's Quarters admits enjoying Milbank's prose in the WaPo in certain context, but even CQ doesn't seem to approve of the stunt. I'd agree.

Meanwhile, everybody is dissing Gore for his antics in Saudi Arabia, even some self-described moderate voices. And can you blame them? If anything, the backlash towards the Arab population inside America post 9/11 has been all but non-existent. As I already said, it was an outrage.

Some good news on the Iraq front from the John Batchelor Show on WABC - likely the best and most informative talk radio going today. The movement of would be jihadists across the Syrian border into Iraq seems to be down significantly.

Meanwhile, what most everyone should have been talking about seems to have gone all but unnoticed so far. Not only did Iran put off talks with Russia, by putting gas into their centrifuges they in essence took a major step toward developing the ingredients for a nuclear bomb. By spinning the gas in those centrifuges, they can produce plutonium without ever having activated their reactor. That two prong approach to development renders any discussion with Russia about removal of spent fuel rods almost moot.

As I said at the top, seems like a bizarre day for the MSM to don clown costumes or take the day off to go hunting. And too bad Gore didn't have enough sense to give it a rest.

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran notched up the brinksmanship over its disputed nuclear program Monday, abruptly postponing talks with Moscow on a plan to enrich Tehran's uranium on Russian territory to allay fears it is building an atomic weapon.

Diplomats in Europe said Iran had started small-scale enrichment of uranium, a process that can produce fuel for an atomic bomb.

"Uranium gas has been fed into three machines," said a senior diplomat in Vienna, Austria, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the matter. Another diplomat confirmed that limited enrichment had begun at Iran's Natanz site.

At least someone is paying attention.

Comments

[danascully]

Dana Milbank looked rificulous, but I'm sure Keith Olbermann thought it was hilarious.

[danascully]

And that's ridiculous, not rificulous!

[MrsLevy]

"danascully".

No wonder you can't spell.

The Veep was drunk. So was his victim.

It may take a week for the facts to come out, but they will.

MrsLevy

[Phoenix]

Can't say I'm offended by Dana Milbank's antics. MSNBC needs the ratings, and the late-night shows are getting all the laughs. Besides, he looks so funny I'd laugh out loud if I watched that channel. (MSNBC needs to fire every man in the building.)

I think it's a way to mock themselves, the journalists, who made such a big deal out of the stupid shooting. Good for them if that's what they're doing.

This country sure needs some Lighten-Up, and I've decided never to be offended again.

[danascully]

Posted by: MrsLevy | Tuesday, February 14, 2006 at 12:07 PM
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I don't know what you mean by this statement but actually I mis-typed, it was after midnight and I was quite tired. I still think Dana Milbank looked stupid no matter who was/was not drunk! Thanks for noticing........

[bud]

"The Veep was drunk. So was his victim."
-MrsLevy
No, "I think that...", no, "Probably...", no, "One witness claimed that...", just a simple declarative sentence. The moonbats even think they're clairvoyant. But wait, that's not all - they're even spell checkers!

Every loud-mouth critic I've seen or read on the Chaney incident wouldn't know a choke from a chicken, but, boy, they certainly are gun safety experts. Bird hunting is a fast paced sport, and, from what I hear, the guy that got shot walked into range without announcing himself. I may change my mind if and when other information comes out, but for now, it's an accident. And yes, I've picked bird shot out of my arm because of an accident, so I've got a much better idea of what can happen.

And for a substantive criticism of the actual post-

The centrifuges are used to extract U235 from U238. The heavier isotope (U238) is not very fissile, while U235 will go critical on it's own, given enough mass - which, IIRC, is 22.8 lbs in a sphere. The uranium is chemically converted to Uranium hexaflouride (which is corrosive as hell) gas. The centrifuge forces the heavier moleculed (3 extra neutrons) gas to the outside of the centrifuge, thereby separating the 238 from the 235. It's a very statistical process, which requires multiple passes and lots of centrifuges.

BTW, the residue (pretty much pure -99.99%- U238) is the DU that is used for anti-tank penetrator rounds.

Plutoniu,(Pu239), which requires compression to go critical, is generated from U238 by adding extra neutrons, which require a reactor.

So, you're right for the wrong reasons. They don't need a reactor to make a bomb, but it will be a U235 weapon, not a plutonium one.

There's no secrets as to how to make a bomb - there's only secrets on how to make "efficient" ones - so it's a matter of controlling access to U235 and Pu239 that
limits access to the "club".

email is human readable - aloud

[coconuttree]

The Vice President was the press strategist, and Karl Rove was the investigative reporter. Vice President Cheney overruled the advice of several members of the White House staff and insisted on sticking to a plan for releasing information about his hunting accident that resulted in a 20-hour, overnight delay in public confirmation of the startling incident, according to several Republican sources.

"This is either a cover-up story or an incompetence story," said a top Republican who is close to the White House and has rarely been critical of the Administration in the past five years. "Karl was constrained, as was the entire communications operation, because the Vice President had arranged for how this was to come out."
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1159347,00.html?CNN=yes

The hunter shot and wounded by Vice President Dick Cheney suffered a minor heart attack after a piece of birdshot moved to his heart, a hospital spokesman said today. "Some of the bird shot appears to have moved and lodged into part of his heart ... in what we would say is a minor heart attack," said a spokesman for the Texas hospital treating Harry Whittington.
http://www.cnn.com/

[danascully]

Posted by: bud | Tuesday, February 14, 2006 at 02:03 PM But wait, that's not all - they're even spell checkers!
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A big thank you, Bud!