Friday Quick Hits

Here are this week's quick hits for your informing pleasure:

More Earmark Hypocrisy
Ed Lasky blows the whistle on an earmark intended to help one -- that's right, one -- company. Despite Democrat promises to end earmarking, Dem. Senator Max Baucus (chairman of the Senate Finance Committee) allowed an earmark that would cause taxpayers to foot the bill for the purchase of 40,000 acres of land for conservation. The earmark could be worth as much as $500 million to Plum Creek Timber, the biggest landowner in Baucus' home state of Montana. Was ending earmarks an outright lie, or is the continuation of earmarks simply extreme hypocrisy? Does it matter?

Afghanistan Wants American Troops
In a recent poll, 72% of Afghans supported the presence of U.S. troops. Proving that the U.S. always does the hard work, NATO's reluctance to actually put their troops into combat is beginning to show, as only 68% thought foreign (NATO) troops were doing a good job. If America doesn't do it, it just doesn't get done.

Bush Will Likely Win Again
When was the last time you heard a prominent Democrat talk bad about Iraq? It's been a while, hasn't it? That's because the Dems can't fight success, and the success is undeniable now. But, to appease their anti-war base, they can't just give Bush the war funding he requested, so they're trying to figure out a way around it. Expect a new bill to be passed before Christmas giving Bush everything (or close to it) he wants. They might try an end-around with Afghanistan somehow, or some other creative way to provide the funding while looking like they somehow beat Bush. The truth is, though, that Bush wins, and the Dems lose again.

The Destroyed CIA Tapes
Sure, you've heard from the MSM that the CIA destroyed a couple videotapes of 'harsh' terrorist interrogations. But, what you probably don't know is that a number of Congressional Democrats knew about the plan to destroy the tapes years before it actually happened...and they didn't stop it. Personally, I don't mind the thought of terrorists being roughed up a bit, but I understand the no-torture principle is at stake. What galls me is that Democrats (and their propaganda wing, the MSM) are once again playing both sides of the issue.

More on The Golden Compass
OneNewsNow.com posts a fairly extensive review by Rebecca Grace of the upcoming movie "The Golden Compass". She summarizes the plot, then offers some realistic analysis her viewpoint. This one is a lot more in-depth than my previous blog about it, so if you're interested in the movie, go check this out.

Have a great weekend!