Deep Thoughts

Just when I thought I knew Seattle

Except for two years in the Midwest, I've been in Seattle since 1987. So I was surprised to stumble across this beautiful park in Pioneer Square. The Waterfall Garden was donated by a Casey family member--UPS founders. For those of you that didn't know, UPS started in Seattle.

I guess a camera phone can come in handy.

Inkling?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines "inkling" as:

1) a slight indication or suggestion
2) a slight knowledge or vague notion

During his press conference on April 13, President Bush stated:

"And the answer is that had I had any inkling whatsoever that the people were going to fly airplanes into buildings, we would have moved heaven and earth to save the country, just like we're working hard to prevent a further attack."

So the question isn't what he would have done if he had any "inkling" but rather should he have had an inkling. Shouldn't a memo titled "Bin Laden determined to attack inside the U.S." give someone an inkling? It may not be a specifc threat, but isn't enough to start doing something?

Condoleeza Rice testified that the Bush administration "moved to develop a new and comprehensive strategy to eliminate the al Qaeda terrorist network." What I would like to know is when was that "strategy" supposed to be developed and when was it supposed to be implemented? The Bush administration has shown neither any evidence that this strategy was being developed nor that President Bush considered it (or its implementation) a priority.

George Tenet got beat up by the 9/11 Commission for not meeting with Bush during the month leading up to 9/11. What no one really came out and said was that Bush was on vacation that month. Admittedly, I'm sure a president still works while he's on vacation; but a for a month?!?

TV

A study came out last showing a link between television viewing and attention problems among children. So what happens to us when we get older?

One more year

David and Karen hosted a wonderful Easter brunch this morning. Needless to say, I was woefully underdressed. What can I say, how can I wear anything other than a t-shirt and shorts on a beautiful sunny Seattle day? I guess if I really thought about it, I should have realized that I should have dressed up a little bit for the occasion.

Thanks to David and Karen for helping me celebrate my day...

What liberal media bias?

This Reuters article describes the exodus of counterterrorism officials under the Bush administration. These are the counterterrorism experts and they're leaving because they disagree with the administration's handling of the war on terror, including the war in Iraq. Basically, they are all echoing Richard Clarke's sentiments.

So if the media has a liberal bias--as a lot of conseratives insist--why haven't any of major news outlets picked up the story? Admittedly, it came out at 7:45PM EST so I'll watch tomorrow's news. I hope this story picks up some steam.

So maybe he is a "uniter"

There are some signs in the recent Iraqi uprising that the Sunnis and Shiites are working together. Considering how long they've been fighting each other, it says a lot that they may be uniting against a common enemy.

Iraq

Reports are coming out this evening of a large attack in Iraq that killed as many as 12 US soldiers (initial reports). This comes just days after four US civilians (contractors) were killed and their bodies mutilated. With everything that's been going wrong in Iraq, has any Bush supporter reversed their position on Iraq? Even post 9/11, does anyone feel any safer now that we've invaded Iraq? I'm sure there are a lot of people in Spain that would say no.