Who Is Lying About Iraq? - Part I

Joe Wilson, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton and anonymous posters to this blog have at least one thing in common--repeated, loud, ad hominem, attacks on the war in Iraq.

From the Oxford English Dictionary (OED)
Ad hominem - A phrase applied to an argument or appeal founded on the preferences or principles of a particular person rather than on abstract truth or logical cogency.

Apoplectic attacks and commentaries which rely on insult, insinuation, and intimidation appeal to the lowest common denominator and serve to persuade or convince no one. They are like the child on the playground who throws a tantrum--an entertaining specatacle to be sure--but who usually takes her or his ball and goes home. It is reminiscent of a debate I once had with several friends about "branding" and the value of buying naming rights to sports venues and events. The discussion was heated and ended abruptly, not because one of the two parties won, but because one of those involved dropped the "f-bomb"--effectively shocking and offending all involved. Was this a successful conclusion to the debate?

Apoplectic - Suffering from, or showing symptoms of, apoplexy
Apoplexy - A malady, very sudden in its attack, which arrests more or less completely the powers of sense and motion; it is usually caused by an effusion of blood or serum in the brain, and preceded by giddiness, partial loss of muscular power, etc. Further, overcome with anger - having symptoms of a stroke.

On Monday Norman Podhoretz, editor-at-large of "Commentary" and 10 books, wrote an excellent article. He responded at length and in great detail about the accusations of deceit on the part of the Bush administration in leading us to war. It is long but warrants serious examination. Owing to its size and complaints about my over-long posts I will break it up into bite-sized portions.
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Who Is Lying About Iraq?
A campaign of distortion aims to discredit the liberation.

BY NORMAN PODHORETZ
Monday, November 14, 2005 12:01 a.m. EST

Among the many distortions, misrepresentations and outright falsifications that have emerged from the debate over Iraq, one in particular stands out above all others. This is the charge that George W. Bush misled us into an immoral or unnecessary war in Iraq by telling a series of lies that have now been definitively exposed.

What makes this charge so special is the amazing success it has enjoyed in getting itself established as a self-evident truth even though it has been refuted and discredited over and over again by evidence and argument alike. In this it resembles nothing so much as those animated cartoon characters who, after being flattened, blown up or pushed over a cliff, always spring back to life with their bodies perfectly intact. Perhaps, like those cartoon characters, this allegation simply cannot be killed off, no matter what.

Nevertheless, I want to take one more shot at exposing it for the lie that it itself really is. Although doing so will require going over ground that I and many others have covered before, I hope that revisiting this well-trodden terrain may also serve to refresh memories that have grown dim, to clarify thoughts that have grown confused, and to revive outrage that has grown commensurately dulled.

The Upper 10

Between grading American Heritage tests and writing a paper that was due two weeks go, I pause to bring you this week's Top 10. On a personal note, thanks to all who wished me Happy Birthday* this last week.

1. Marc Sitterud
Two weeks ago Marc played former BYU Athletic Director Val Hale in the Cascade golf course tournament. He won. Last Friday he played Val's brother for the championship. With two holes to go, Marc locked up the course championship while the brother Hale expressed the negative self-talk of the voices in his head and cussed his every bad shot. On Saturday our flag football team played Val Hale's son-in-law's team--the Mighty Ducks. While Hale obnoxiously complained to the officials the entire game, Marc made throw after throw and Jared Meibos made catch after catch en route to an overtime victory and a spot in the Elite 8. Has any one man ever so completely dominated a family the way Marc did the family Hale? I think not. Props also to Ryan Howes for making a key one-handed grab and another crucial catch on 4th down. For our game schedule this week click here.

2. Seattle Seahawks
I debated about whether or not to list Shaun Alexander independent of the team but decided that would be bad karma. Shaun did his thing rushing for 165 yards and 3 TDs. He will undoubtedly win the rushing title and could potentially break the record (it could happen). Not to be overlooked was the play of the defense. With Bulger, Bruce and Holt all back together for the first time in weeks and Marshall Faulk having his best game of the season, one might guess that the Rams would score a lot of points--they didn't. It wasn't until the 4th Quarter when the game was no longer in doubt, that the Rams finally found the end zone. At 7-2 these 'Hawks look like contenders.

3. Cougar Football
I continue to call for Curtis Brown to win MWC Player of the Year. On Saturday he had 153 yards rushing and 24 receiving and scored 2 TDs. The only thing I can't figure out is why we weren't doing this a the beginning of the year. At 6-4 BYU is bowl eligible and will undoubtedly get an invite if for no other reason than the fact that BYU fans tend to travel well (San Diego St., UNLV, Notre Dame). However, I hate to think that we have to count a win against a D-II school as one of our 6 qualifying wins. I wont be satisfied unless we beat Utah. I've long said (and still believe) that BYU could lose every other game, beat Utah, and I would be happy. Since coming to BYU as a freshman way back in the fall of '99 I've attended 4 BYU-Utah games and I've yet to see the Cougars win. I hate to think that I could graduate without seeing BYU beat Utah. Despite the gift-wrapped excuse given to Utah fans with the loss of QB Brian Johnson I still see this being a close game. Call it BYU by 2.5.

4. Deadlocked
On Friday night Mike Lowe and his band Deadlocked died a premature death. It was to be their finaly show and they called it a funeral and asked people to wear black. I wore white to protest, to no effect. It was a great show, if a little underattended (owing to the distance) and a good way to end a great run. Thanks to Mike Lowe and the rest of Deadlocked for giving me and the rest of the still-single folk of Provo something to do on the weekends for the past couple years.

5. Otis Spunkmeyer Cookies
Back in the high school glory days the Southridge business class used to bake Otis Spunkmeyer cookies in the school store and sell them to me and the other mindless masses at 3/$1. I was never a fat kid (the opposite actually) growing up, but I do remember getting headaches when I wouldn't get my daily dose of OSC. This is one addiction (don't worry mom, there aren't any others) I'm happy to renew. Every Sunday night my roommate Marc bakes a batch of these delicious treats and I try and eat them all before anyone can get one. Now THAT'S a tradition.

6. Into the Blue
If you haven't seen this masterful performance by Paul Walker, you should. On Saturday night Matt and I finally had a chance to review this latest Academy Award-caliber achievement and we were not disappointed. Riveting dialogue, captivating action and ample opportunities to ogle Jessica Alba... what more can you ask for? Into the Blue? Two thumbs way up.

7. Rain in the Valley means Snow in the Mountains
Ski season is right around the corner and I've got the itch. We bought our passes nearly three months ago and on the 17th Alta opens for the season. My personal record is 50 ski days. Graduation permitting, maybe I'll exceed that total this winter.

8. USC
They're still the best. And Reggie Bush will win the Heisman. And there is no way Brady Quinn is better than Matt Leinart. Oh, and I told you Alabama would lose. Would someone explain to me, please, why Notre Dame with two losses, is ranked higher Alabama, Oregon, UCLA etc. (and in one poll V-Tech)?

9. Polk Audio
I've blown two of their MM12" subs and they have replaced both of them without question. This is a good company with a great sounding sub. And seriously, can great bass be overrated? What am I listening to as I drive down the road? You mean besides Neil Diamond? Lee Greenwood Christmas, that's what.

10. Josh and Ethan Torgersen
On Saturday my young cousins played in the championship games of their respective football leagues. Matt and I watched both and were proud to see our cousins play hard and well. Remember boys: work hard, play hard.

Also receiving votes:
A-Rod (AL MVP), Rashard Lewis, Amy Grant Christmas, Sorry! (the board game)

*I turned 25 on Tuesday.

Another View On Immigration

My post on immigration from several weeks ago fomented much more discussion than I had anticipated. Though several good comments were attached to that post, some of the best dialogue was had with people I ran into on campus and in my American Heritage labs. Among the several emails I received on the topic was one from my aunt, Laura Wright, which I think warrants an independent post.

I will readily admit that one of the difficulties associated with problem solving as a student is that we are so far from the problems themselves. It is all too easy to look down on the world from the "ivory tower" of academia and presume to have all the answers. I guess its a natural fallacy accompanying the idealism of the college years. For this reason I encourage and appreciate the insight of those who actually live where the problems exist. As a long-time resident of Southern California, my aunt has ample experience on which to base her opinions.
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I don't have a problem with legal immigration. I can understand someone looking at the average American lifestyle and wanting it. That is the American Dream. What really ticks me off is all the illegal immigration going on. Living in CA, we see the effects of all the illegal immigrants streaming into our state. They sneak over the border, move into a slum, and get a job that pays less than minimum wage. The employers love these workers - they pay them next to nothing, don't have to provide benefits, and they don't have to claim them. Of course, there are no taxes being paid anywhere in this arrangement. And yet, the immigrants take complete advantage of our state-supported school system, medicare, food stamps and other welfare, without contributing a red cent toward keeping the system intact and running. Therefore, the system is bankrupting itself. We have hospitals closing all over Los Angeles county. The school system is a mess. Even our traffic is affected - the roads are in terrible condition, and there is very little money to fix them. Where does the money come from to keep it all running? The tax rates on small business owners in the state of California make it almost not worth being in business. (If we didn't have student loans and a few other deductions, we would be paying out more than 50% of Chad's income in taxes) But that is a whole different story...related, but different.

I have watched the current administration to see what they would do about this problem. What a disappointment. Obviously, the changes are not going to come from the government. The only thing I can see that may have any effect on it is for all of us to stop employing illegal immigrants, and to stop supporting businesses that employ illegal immigrants (Home Depot and Walmart, to name a few). This will be a toughie. People like the prices that illegals charge. Employing a legal immigrant will inevitably cost more. But if you take into account the additional taxes we are all paying to cover the cost of these illegal immigrants, it evens out.

And don't even get me started on the national security aspect of this mess...

Well, you probably aren't too worried about this matter from the taxpayer's perspective yet, but you will be. Especially if you end up in CA.
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Point taken. Depressing though it may be, eventually I will have to get a job.

Bombs over Amman

No doubt you've read of the bombs exploded in Amman, Jordan that killed at least 59 people. Best of the Web had the following insightful take on the response of Muslims and Jordanians to these latest attacks by al-Qaeda.
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"Thousands of Jordanians rallied in the capital and other cities shouting 'Burn in hell, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi!' a day after three deadly hotel bombings that killed at least 59 people. Officials suspected Iraqi involvement in the attacks, which were claimed by al-Qaida's Iraq branch," the Associated Press reports:

As protesters in Jordan and elsewhere in the Arab world denounced the Jordanian-born leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, security forces snared a group of Iraqis for questioning and officials said one of the bombers spoke Iraqi-accented Arabic before he exploded his suicide belt in the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

The main demonstration in Amman lasted for more than an hour. But honking vehicles, decorated with Jordanian flags and posters of King Abdullah II, cruised Amman's streets until late in the night, as passengers chanted "Death to al-Zarqawi, the villain and the traitor!" and anti-terrorism slogans.

Hmm, al Qaeda in Iraq--or, as the Democrats call it, al Qaeda Which Has Nothing to Do With Iraq in Iraq Which Has Nothing to Do With al Qaeda. Another AP dispatch reports on the reaction of Palestinian Arabs in Silet al-Thaher, in the disputed territories:

In this Palestinian village, the Akhras clan mourned 17 relatives killed by a suicide bomber in Jordan--the first time Palestinians have been a target in a suicide attack.

"Oh my God, oh my God. Is it possible that Arabs are killing Arabs, Muslims killing Muslims?" asked a weeping Najah Akhras, 35, who lost two nieces. . . .

"Palestinians have tasted the blind violence that does not differentiate between people--children, women, wedding parties, ordinary people," said Palestinian newspaper commentator Hani al-Masri.

"I expect now a significant change in the Palestinian political culture," he said. "For sure, this attack will push Palestinians to reconsider this way of suicide bombings, and I think it would reduce support for attacks that kill people without any differentiation."

Let's hope it also reduces support for attacks that kill Jews with "differentiation." Anyway, this is further evidence of how al Qaeda has squandered the world's goodwill since 9/11.
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Iraq and al-Qaeda? Nah, not likely.

Scorpion Watch

This story has become a favorite among some of us here at BYU, mostly because of its ending--"you knew what I was..." Here's an excerpt from a column today by Stephen Moore (Political Diary).

Regarding the business interests you have supported Democrats campaigning on increasing taxes, he says:
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This trendy impulse in the business community of supporting pro-tax candidates appears to be spreading throughout the country. In Michigan, for example, industry groups are splintering from Republicans in the legislature in order to seek special tax breaks and corporate welfare handouts.

In the end, the Chamber of Commerce folks and the Fortune 500 lobbyists don't seem to understand that, when they help elect pro-tax Democrats, they also elect a slate of anti-free trade, pro-regulation and class warfare candidates. These newly elected politicians are like scorpions: They will sting the very business groups who helped carry them into the winner's circle at their earliest convenience. Conservatives can hardly be blamed if they refuse to rescue the corporatist turncoats from this fate.
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Hopefully Republicans can figure things out before next year's elections--the ones that really count.

"Locked on Sports"

There are too few good sports columns out there. Many (like mine) consist of inane lists that require little thought or insight. One of the few good ones is "Locked on Sports," by David Locke. He has a talk show weeknights from 7-10pm on Sports Radio 950 KJR-AM in Seattle.

I've only listened to his radio show a handful of times, but I read his column in the Seattle PI every Wednesday. In today's column he does a review of his predictions from the last year. In it he mentions his missteps, (predicting the Sonics would win 20-40 games; they won 52 games and the division) and his truest of statements.
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"With that said, there were two things I wrote that I know are right. Bud Selig needs to resign and Notre Dame sold its soul for wins."
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Steroids are a serious problem and if anyone watched Sen. McCain on the news, you know Congress is going to force baseball's hand.

ND recently gave Charlie Weiss a 10 year contract after beating... nobody. Willingham (I'm glad UW got him) had 8 straight wins against tough teams and he got the boot after three years. Weiss is winning with Willingham's players but he (CW) is getting all the credit. I just hope that race wasn't an issue.

Judicial Review

The following is an excerpt taken from a book review by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Here he clearly states his views on the role of the Supreme Court in deciding various debates.
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Justice Scalia writes:

[In] a democracy, it is not the function of law to establish any more social policy than what is fairly expressed by legislation, enacted through prescribed democratic procedures. It troubles Smith, but does not at all trouble me -- in fact, it pleases me -- that giving the words of the Constitution their normal meaning would "expel from the domain of legal issues … most of the constitutional disputes that capture our attention," such as "Can a macho military educational institution dedicated to what is euphemistically called the 'adversative' method admit only men? Is there a right to abortion? Or to the assistance of a physician in ending one's life?" If we should read English as English, Smith bemoans, "these questions would seemingly all have received the same answer: 'No law on that one.'"

That is precisely the answer they should have received: The federal Constitution says nothing on these subjects, which are therefore left to be governed by state law. Smith's response is revealing: "We have not been content with this sort of modesty in our law." The antecedent of the pronoun is unspecified, but I fancy it refers to the legal academic community which establishes the permissible boundaries for Smith's thinking, or at least his writing. Many Americans outside that community yearn for this sort of modesty. Indeed, it was something of an issue in the last election…
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Comments on the role of courts? Affirmative action? Assisted suicide? Abortion? Capital punishment? Any role? No role?

Vegas Top 10

From the swirl of brights lights, black jack and bbq comes this weeks Top 10--delayed somewhat by a road trip and change in time zone.

1. Go Trojans!
Yet another pretender to the crown (V-Tech) bit the dust this week. I imagine 'Bama and their fans are crying about being snubbed in favor of Texas. To Alabama: cry some more. If you don't get beat by LSU you'll get beat by Auburn.

2. My LV Mother
Everybody should have one. My Las Vegas mother housed us, fed us, and amongst the ills of LV, kept us safe. Thanks to Karen and Leesee for taking care of us this past weekend.

3. Seinfeld
In case you forgot how good this show was you should promptly go to Costco and buy seasons 1-4 on DVD. Matt and I did just that and watched 8 episodes on the way down and 4 on the way back. Any coincidence that I was eating an apple while talking to a cute girl in the hall today? I think not.

4. Southridge Football
They walloped Walla Walla on Thursday en route to their first ever 10-0 season and Big 9 championship. Before the game I called up their special teams unit and gave them a few tips. I noted that the weather forecast called for high winds. Wind combined with the turf of Lampson stadium created a unique opportunity to try out a little theory of mine. After their defense dominated woeful WaHi near their endzone I instructed them to closely watch the ball and avoid touhing it; that it would sail high into the air and bounce back toward the goal line giving SHS a chance for a TD or safety. They did just that and watched as WaHi punted out of their own endzone in the air to about the 30 where the wind caught it pushing it backwards. It landed, bounced, and rolled toward the endzone where the pitiful Blue Devils attempted to knock it out of bounds to avoid the TD. They got lucky and SHS only got a safety. Oh well, my advice was heeded and they trounced the Walla Walla Bumpkins, er, Blue Devils.

5. Seattle Seahawks
Last Sunday the hapless Cardinals were plucked, roasted, and devoured by my Seahawks. After Shaun Alexander narrowly missed winning the rushing title last year to the much less talented Corey Dillon I told him he would have another shot, and he has. The only thing that ticks me off is that he is not on my fantasy football team.

6. GWB
The Commander-in-Chief made a bold and courageous decision and dialed up Sam Alito as the next Supreme Court Justice. But wait, there's more, this is just the first step on his path to reclaim the mandate of the 2004 Presidential election.

7. Grandma and Grandpa Torgersen
My maternal grandparents fed us some delicious chili potatoes on the way home from Vegas yesterday (Sunday). While there I found out my connection to USC (and thus my legitimacy as a fan) runs deeper than I thought. While in dental school, my grandfather worked as an usher at the Coliseum so he could watch SC games. Taking a job to watch your team play because your finances are tight? That makes for a true fan.

8. Rosa Parks
Just goes to show you can start major movements while remaining on your posterior. Lets hope her passing does not mark the passing of courage like hers--the courage to fight for a good cause.

9. Pizzookies
I was introduced to this creation of creations Saturday night at "BJ's," a great restaurant in Vegas. This dessert combines two of my favorites--cookies and ice cream--to become perhaps the greatest treat ever.

10. My Flag Football Team
We demolished our first opponent and had a gut-check against the 2nd team. They were the most athletic team we had played yet, but all it took was a few defensive adjustments and we won. The rest of the bracket better watch out, we won't let another team sneak up on us like that one.

Ronald Reagan

From BOTW and James Taranto, an appropriate tribute to RR during election week.
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Silver Anniversary

The assassination of John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963, marked the end of an American political era: the age of confident liberalism. Lyndon B. Johnson carried forward JFK's legislative legacy, cutting taxes and pushing through landmark civil rights laws. But LBJ's overambitious wars in Vietnam and on poverty were damaging to America and shattering for liberalism. The late 1960s and the 1970s saw skyrocketing crime and illegitimacy, American humiliation in Vietnam, and the tragedy of Watergate.

Finally, with the presidency of Jimmy Carter, the country hit rock bottom: malaise, gas lines, the Soviets in Afghanistan, the invasion of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Blessedly, 25 years ago today, it came to an end with the election of Ronald Reagan and the dawn of the age of confident conservatism. The ensuing two decades saw unprecedented economic growth, victory in the Cold War, and a gradual diminution of the timidity about employing U.S. military force overseas that is known as the "Vietnam syndrome." By the mid-1990s, a Democratic president was even undoing the worst excesses of LBJ's Great Society.

We're inclined to view the presidency of George W. Bush, and especially his muscular foreign policy, as a continuation of the Reagan era. There is an argument to be made on the other side: that conservatism is now in its LBJ phase, having produced swollen government at home and overextended America's capabilities abroad. The left, meanwhile, is as weak, angry and paranoid as the right was in the heyday of the John Birch society--but perhaps one day it will reconnect with reality and resurge politically.

History will reveal itself in due course, but for today let us remember how, on Nov. 4, 1980, America began to reverse its decline by electing a man who shared the country's faith in itself.
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Any comments on the general trend of American politics?

Running up the score

I guess UNLV head coach Mike Sanford had some hard feelings after Saturday's pasting at the hands of the my Cougars. It appears he did not want to go to midfield to shake BYU head coach, Bronco Mendenhall's hand. All of this begs the question, what, exactly, constitutes running up the score?

Against TCU and later Air Force it seemed we had the game in hand and the team and play calling seemed to be dialed back a bit. Result? TCU beat us in overtime on a controversial call and Air Force scored four 4th Quarter TDs. Fearing a repeat performance of either one of those games, Bronco wisely stuck with his gameplan--adding a little bit more of the run. If we were really trying to run up the score Curtis Brown would have gotten a lot more touches. Blame for the score should instead be laid at the feet of the UNLV offense. They turned the ball over three times and gave us great field position.

Offensive Game Ball goes this week to the offensive line. These guys could arguably have the OGB in any given week. I have long believed that an offense only goes as far as its offensive line. Inexperience and youth and other issues could largely be blamed for our offensive woes over the last three years--not, as some have claimed, the QBs. Even Matt Leinart or Brady Quinn couldn't thrown the ball with the entire defensive line in their face. A good offensive line like ours can make an all-star out of a QB--much like Maurice Stovall and Jeff Samardzija make Brady Quinn look like Heisman material and lead many people to say he's better than Matt Leinart--he's not, and Reggie Bush locked up the Heisman weeks ago. Congrats to Jake Kuresa and Co. for the most consistent, excellent play of any group on the team.

The DFG finds was intercepted by Justin Luettgerodt who intercepted his second pass in as many weeks. He of 46+ tackles, 2 INTs and 4.5 tackles for loss, should join Cameron Jensen on the All-MWC First team. After the ND game Coach Mendenhall called for a focus on making the big play and the defense has responded with 6 turnovers in the last two games. Credit the BYU defense for not giving up and improving every week.

Population Control

The WSJ is running an Op-Ed today about the confirmation of Ellen Sauerbrey. She and President Bush have come under fire because of their refusal to support the UN's Population Fund. The UN Population Fund, they note, gives funds to such illustrious family planning programs as the Chinese one-child policy. In case you've missed, oh, I don't know, anything relating to China and Human Rights, you know that this is a coercive policy that has led to the loss of 40 million Chinese girls from the current demographic. Result? Sex rates currently list some 117 boys to every 100 girls.

Pro-choice groups are out in force to deny the appointment of Ms. Sauerbrey and are decrying the refusal of funds to the UN. This program and its stateside proponents sound familiar. They are vaguely reminiscent of Nazi-era eugenicists who advocated forced sterilizations, abortions, and infanticide--all things being practiced in China and supported by the UN Population Fund.

miss Jerome James? "Miss Jerome James" maybe

DVR plus College Gameplan have combined to be a powerful one-two punch to my studies this fall. NBA League Pass could do the same.

Last night I watched the Sonics lose to the alien(Sam Cassell)-led Clippers. Sure, it was embarrassing. I was asked if the Sonics were going to miss Jerome James. My answer was an immediate and emphatic, no. If you just tuned into the playoffs and watched JJ play well for a couple of games, you can be forgiven. But anyone who followed the Sonics closely last year knows that the Knicks will soon regret giving him a fat contract. Without Ray Allen to babysit him in NYC...? Good luck Larry Brown.

Antonio Daniels? A whole other matter entirely. Last night's 4th Quarter implosion is due in part to the lack of the focus, smart, turnover-less brand of basketball AD brought to the court each and every game. His loss cannot be overstated. What was Ronald "Flip" Murray thinking taking three consecutive shots in the 4th quarter when the ball should have gone to Ray or Rashard? On one possession, for lack of a better description, he quite literally gave the ball away. AD was always praised for having among the lowest turnover per minute played ratios in the NBA. His presence will be missed.

To the nay-sayers: Last year the Sonics were within one Tim Duncan bucket in the 4th Quarter of Game 6 of advancing to the Western Conference Finals. They did that without Rashard Lewis or Vlad Radmanovich--the #2 & #3 leading scorers on the team.

Joe Wilson Lied!

I've written before in response to those who claim "Bush Lied!" in leading us to war--apparently to little effect. In today's edition of the WSJ, the editorial board uses Libby's indictment as an opportunity to clarify who knew what.

Harry Reid called for a closed session in the Senate to review Libby's indictment and how it supports their ongoing effort to prove Bush cooked the (intelligence) books in leading us to war. The truth is four separate investigations (read 'em, 4!) have found no evidence of intelligence manipulation.
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- In July 2004, the Senate Intelligence Committee released a bipartisan 500-page report that found numerous failures of intelligence gathering and analysis. As for the Bush Administration's role, "The Committee did not find any evidence that Administration officials attempted to coerce, influence or pressure analysts to change their judgments related to Iraq's weapons of mass destruction," (our emphasis).

- The Butler Report, published by the British in July 2004, similarly found no evidence of "deliberate distortion," although it too found much to criticize in the quality of prewar intelligence.

- The March 2005 Robb-Silberman report on WMD intelligence was equally categorical, finding "no evidence of political pressure to influence the Intelligence Community's pre-war assessments of Iraq's weapons programs. … analysts universally asserted that in no instance did political pressure cause them to skew or alter any of their analytical judgments. We conclude that it was the paucity of intelligence and poor analytical tradecraft, rather than political pressure, that produced the inaccurate pre-war intelligence assessments."

- Finally, last Friday, there was Mr. Fitzgerald: "This indictment's not about the propriety of the war, and people who believe fervently in the war effort, people who oppose it, people who are -- have mixed feelings about it should not look to this indictment for any resolution of how they feel or any vindication of how they feel."
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Everyone who has looked at the intelligence concluded that there was no distortion of intelligence except Joe Wilson. Remember him? It was his wife who was "outed" by Robert Novak. The independent investigation of this brought Libby's indictment which many have taken as a sign that Bush must have lied. Truth is, Mr. Wilson lied in his report to the press on Saddam's negotiation with Niger.

"Those reports clearly showed that, while Saddam had probably not purchased yellowcake from Niger, the dictator had almost certainly tried."

Mr. Wilson knew that Saddam had tried to purchase nuclear material from Niger which would seem to indicate (to a reasonable observer) that SH was pursuing development and production of WMD.

Question: Who else besides Bush thought Saddam had WMD? A clue: these people all saw the same intel as Bush.

Answer:
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Here is Al Gore from September 23, 2002, amid the Congressional debate over going to war: "We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country."

Or Hillary Rodham Clinton, from October 10, 2002: "In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members…"

Or Senator Jay Rockefeller, the Democratic Vice Chairman of the Intelligence Committee, who is now leading the "Bush lied" brigades (from October 10, 2002): "There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years… We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction." If Mr. Bush is a liar, what does the use of the phrase "unmistakable evidence" make Mr. Rockefeller? A fool?
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As the WSJ notes, "the scandal here isn't what happened before the war. The scandal is that the same Democrats who saw the same intelligence that Mr. Bush saw, who drew the same conclusions, and who voted to go to war are now using the difficulties we've encountered in that conflict as an excuse to rewrite history."

As a historian-in-training I understand the power of history in creating the collective identity of a people. Change history, change a people's collective memory, and you change and control the agenda. Democrats hope that by repeating a lie often enough that it will somehow be believed (evidenced by many comments and opinion polls) and accepted as truth. For some reason, established media is facilitating this re-write, this 'propogandization' of history.

Black Conservatives and White Cornerbacks

I've been thinking a lot about issues of race and the legacy of the Reconstruction and Civil Rights Movement. Eventually I'll produce something coherent and post it here. On Monday a friend emailed me an article from the Washington Times that reports on racism by liberal African Americans against conservative African Americans. It seems that this racism is--in some cases--at least tacitly supported by more mainstream members of the Democratic party. Credit MB for his lead--BOTW picked it up and gave a good commentary the next day.
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Race to the Bottom

Every time a Republican president nominates someone to the Supreme Court, the left trots out the "mainstream" trope. Anyone who doesn't believe the Constitution sanctions abortion through the fourth trimester or that the Second Amendment is an optical illusion is deemed "out of the mainstream." Liberals so abuse the term that we are hesitant to use it at all.

And yet surely there are some positions that can be considered "mainstream"--that, in 21st-century America, command such a widespread consensus that anyone who rejects them can fairly be labeled "out of the mainstream." One such proposition is this: Black Americans are entitled to full citizenship. A corollary is that it is invidious to disparage black people on account of their race.

A Washington Times report from Maryland illustrates that many black Democrats are out of the mainstream:

Black Democratic leaders in Maryland say that racially tinged attacks against Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele in his bid for the U.S. Senate are fair because he is a conservative Republican.

Such attacks against the first black man to win a statewide election in Maryland include pelting him with Oreo cookies during a campaign appearance, calling him an "Uncle Tom" and depicting him as a black-faced minstrel on a liberal Web log. . . .

But black Democrats say there is nothing wrong with "pointing out the obvious."

"There is a difference between pointing out the obvious and calling someone names," said a campaign spokesman for Kweisi Mfume, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and former president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

State Sen. Lisa A. Gladden, a black Baltimore Democrat, said she does not expect her party to pull any punches, including racial jabs at Mr. Steele, in the race to replace retiring Democratic U.S. Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes.

"Party trumps race, especially on the national level," she said. "If you are bold enough to run, you have to take whatever the voters are going to give you. It's democracy, perhaps at its worse, but it is democracy."

Delegate Salima Siler Marriott, a black Baltimore Democrat, said Mr. Steele invites comparisons to a slave who loves his cruel master or a cookie that is black on the outside and white inside because his conservative political philosophy is, in her view, anti-black.

"Because he is a conservative, he is different than most public blacks, and he is different than most people in our community," she said. "His politics are not in the best interest of the masses of black people."

This is the equivalent of racist white politicians in the pre-civil-rights South denouncing a white liberal as a "[African American pejorative] lover." If black Democrats--and white Democrats, for that matter--cannot disagree respectfully with a conservative who happens to be black, they have no moral authority when it comes to combating racism in other manifestations.
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Fisher DeBerry's comments this past week, while inexcusable, highlight the level of tension over race issues in America. Almost every day someone calls for a serious discussion of racial issues but it seems the only ones they want to comment are black Americans.

On Bob Costas' HBO show on Sunday he interviewed a retired white NFL receiver (can't remember the name). Asked to opine on DeBerry's comments he declined. Costas then pushed him to explain his reluctance to address the issue and he replied that it was something about which only black Americans could speak, that he wasn't going to go near it.

Later, when asked if he had ever, in his eight year career, been defended by a white cornerback, he could recall only one instance, for one play. Asked what happened this WR noted, "he (the white cornerback) fell down."

WFB and Conservatism

I've been reading "Buckley: The Right Word," a compilation of the interviews and writings of William F. Buckley Jr. He was the founder and editor of the National Review and host of "Firing Line." He is recognized as the ideological forefather of Ronald Reagan and during the '70's and '80's was the only conservative voice in town (DC). I think his observations on conservativism as an ideology and how they contrast with liberals is interesting--especially in light of President Bush's nomination of Sam Alito to the Supreme Court.

The following is taken from an interview by Mona Charen of WFB which ran on 17 August 1979 for Columbia University's yearbook, "The Columbian."

In response to the liberal accusation against conservatives that they are merely "reactionaries" WFB responded,

"...conservatives are guided substantially by prescriptive reactions. One can, for example, register a disapproval of the proliferation of pornography without experiencing the necessity to externalize one's thoughts in theoretical parades. The liberals, on the whole, would rather write than think; let alone act."

He continues, "a conservative in my judgement is guided less by absolutes than by presumptions. That is to say, there is a presumption against state interference, not an absolute law."

With Alito's nomination it is important to note that conservatives can be at least mildly supportive of a woman's right to choose while being opposed to the jurisprudence of Roe v. Wade. Just because this column happens to oppose Roe AND abortion (with exceptions) does not mean that someone who would vote to overturn Roe must be anti-abortion or pro-life. In fact, this seems to be the position of Justice Breyer--a liberal who is pro-choice but anti-Roe.

The position Alito holds that ought to build majority support among Americans--liberal, conservative or otherwise--simply because because he judicial philosophy is process rather than outcome based.

That said, this nomination could still end in filibuster and, inevitably, the so-called "nuclear option."

Top 6, Bottom 4

Strung out on Pop Tarts and Diet Dr. Pepper, I take a break from our Madden 2006 league and a history paper to bring you this week's list of 10. There are good things and there are bad things. This list brings you a little of both.

Top 6

1. University of Southern California Trojans
Does anyone or anything else even come close to deserving the Top Spot? They steam-rolled Wazzu and continue to defy the East Coast Bias--kind of like my flag football team. They, like us, will only end their run with a championship. Hey NCAA (and flag football chumps), why don't you just concede SC's (and our) complete and total domination? Do Vince and Co. or Vick and Co. honestly think they have a snowball's chance of beating SC at the end of the year? Give me a break.

2. BYU Cougarettes
Once I tired of watching BYU and Air Force trade TDs I became engrossed in counting the leg kicks of the Cougarettes--BYU's elite dance team. Though I lost count once they got into triple digits, I'm told they did in excess of 300. What athleticism.

3. Cookies
I like chocolate chip, oatmeal, and the ones with frosting and candy corn. I like 'em with nuts, without nuts, with peanut butter chips and peanut butter filling. I like 'em hot, with milk, and at breakfast--I once lived off my Aunt's famous "monster" cookies for a week. If you haven't had a cookie before I highly recommend you try one.

4. Paul Walker
He burst onto the scene with an amazing performance in "She's All That"--a performance that should have netted him the award for Best Supporting Actor. In Fast and the Furious he showed his incredible ability to carry a film on the sheer genius of his acting ability. That he didn't win Best actor for that effort was a travesty. In 2 Fast 2 Furious the Academy had a chance to redeem themselves. In what can only be explained by an ice-skating-judge like scandal (think Winter Olympics 2002) he lost once again to far less deserving actors. In "Into the Blue" he teams with the always-excellent Jessica Alba to create a movie that should win John Stockwell his first Academy Award for Best Director. The Academy should also take advantage of this opportunity to right a wrong and give PW the Award for Best Actor.

5. ConSource
On Friday I watched BYU women's soccer play a tough match against Utah. They played hard and well against their rival to the north and ended a cold, wet night in a tie. While at the game my friend and I discussed many of the world's problems. After a bucket o popcorn and several cups of hot chocolate we had most of them resolved--all in a night's work. Among the topics we discussed was his involvement with ConSource. This is a project that seeks to "[create] the first complete and fully searchable online database of original source materials for the United States Constitution." This is an endeavor that deserves much more press and support. Look for a lengthy post on ConSource in the days to come.

6. Southridge Suns
I think their snub in the last couple Top 10s inspired them in their destruction of cross-town rival Kamiakin. Braves head coach Craig Beverlin had this to say about SHS and Suns QB Jason Munns, "I've been coaching for a long time, and that's one of the better teams I've ever coached against," Beverlin said. "Being one of the oldest guys (in the Big Nine) sometimes I get deja vu; I thought I saw (Drew) Bledsoe out there. I coached against Bledsoe, and I've felt that Munns is an oncoming Bledsoe-type athlete. He did nothing to change my opinion tonight." I've been saying this for a year now and I will repeat it on the record here: Munns will be the top recruit out of the state of Washington and probably the top QB in the West next year. I could probably make a good case for him this year as a junior. BYU would do well to offer (a scholarship) early and follow up often. To read more about the game and see video highlights of the #1 team in Washington click here.

Bottom 4

4. Fantasy Football
When I win all is good and I can enjoy NFL Primtime, popcorn, chicken nuggets, peanuts, and a Sunday nap. When I lose (like this week) I cuss my players, beat up my roommates, and turn my Top 10 into a Top 6. How is it that my kicker scores more points than my QB, RBs, & WRs combined?

3. "Prime"
This film with Meryl Streep and Uma Thurman is not worth the film on which it was recorded. Gratuitous discussions of human anatomy didn't help its cause. You'd be better served viewing "Into the Blue" or renting some other movie with the iconic Paul Walker.

2. Hurricane Wilma
I'm tired of hurricanes hitting my country and countries I want to visit over Thanksgiving break. I call on all responsible members of government to pour endless amounts of money into R&D in an effort to discover the cure to hurricanes. Stop them before they take another American city or Mexican vacation spot.

1. Halloween
I know I'll take heat for this one, but I really don't like this holiday. Thanksgiving I love and Christmas too. I like fireworks on the 4th and waterskiing on Labor and Memorial days. President's and MLK days are great for snow skiing. Halloween is great for... what? During the aforementioned world-problem-solving session at the women's soccer game, my friend and I discussed this holiday. We think (and I'd be interested to read comments) that Halloween presents an opportunity for members of both sexes to dress and act in ways that they would not otherwise. This much is obvious. What makes our theory unique is the thought that the way they dress and act is how they would like to all the time--were there no societal restrictions or repercussions. People-watching at not a few Halloween gettogethers provided the evidence for this admittedly unscientific theory. What's more is the general tomfoolery that goes on during this weekend. Have you ever been "egged" before? I have and it sucks.

Just Win Baby

I write this as I sit in front of the TV watching my fantasy football team suck it up. Dang it, another loss to Mike Lowe.

My brother and I showed up about an hour and a half before the game yesterday. Under the stands waiting for the game to start, Matt and I discussed whether the circumstances existed which would cause us to miss the game. Rain, snow, blowouts, hot girls--barring a trip to Cancun, we couldn't come up with anything. We love BYU football.

If you love scoring yesterday was a good day. You could be excused if you thought the final score looked like a BYU vs. AF basketball score. Despite the loss last week to ND the team came out with a lot of confidence. I think they realized that they had their chances against ND (a couple of drops away from going up 17-7 or better) and could hang with a Top 10 team. Too bad UW and WSU can't say the same. BYU stayed close for 3 Quarters and proved to themselves that they were better than the team that lost to SDSU. I think that game fed this week's solid offensive outing against Air Force.

Offensive Game Ball goes to Curtis Brown, again. By the end of the season he will have a locker-full of these things. A couple more games like this (219 rush yards, 4 TDs) and he will have MWC Player of the Year Honors locked up. It was great to see BYU gain 300 yards rushing on 42 carries. I think that if there were less balance (read: more passing), this game might have been more like the game against TCU. Running the ball was probably our best defense against Air Force.

A couple of thoughts about defense: The secondary continues to take a lot of heat and some of it is deserved. How our CBs get beat by WRs(Air Force) who are neither faster nor more athletic is completely incomprehensible. What is even more incomprehensible is that the coaching staff insists on blitzing rather than giving safety help to our beleaguered cornerback corp. Our run defense is good enough that they don't need the extra man in the box. We held ND to around 50 yards rushing and they only got that many because they started running exclusively for the second half of the 4th quarter. We shouldn't be so wedded to a defensive philosophy (always blitzing) that we allow deficiencies to become glaring weaknesses. The secondary has made mistakes, but I put the bulk of the blame on the coaches for not putting them in a position to succeed. Why do you allow Maurice Stovall, who already had 3 TDs, to get single coverage? Even my grandmother wondered why they called such an obviously dumb defensive coverage.

Put a fork in her... (Miers nomination withdrawn)

Conservative Republicans (the qualifier is necessary) and many Democrats (oddly enough) got their wish today as Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination to the Supreme Court. Apparently borrowing Charles Krauthammer's Exit Strategy both President Bush and Ms. Miers pointed to Executive privilege as the reason for her withdrawal.

In posts on the 8th and again on the 12th of this month I mourned the lost opportunity of debate that a conservative, pro-life nominee would have brought to the Senate. I hoped that it would lead to a more general debate of Roe v. Wade among the general populace. Well, it looks as though I will get my wish.

I understand why many conservatives are happy with her withdrawal. What I don't understand is why many Democrats are also glad she is out. Everything I have read seems to indicate that she is moderate to liberal on many social issues (despite Dr. Dobson's claims). What's more, her judicial philosophy trends in the direction of judicial activism. The following comes from comments Miers made about the involvement of the court in a Texas education funding dispute.
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"At the time [of the speech], Texas was embroiled in an education funding dispute. The Texas Supreme Court had threatened to shut off most school funding if the legislature could not quickly devise a plan for fair funding. Some lawmakers pushed to remove school funding from the court's jurisdiction.

But Miers blamed the legislators for what she called an "unacceptable" school funding plan and for ducking tough issues such as imposing a state income tax.

"My basic message here is that when you hear the courts blamed for activism or intrusion where they do not belong, stop and examine what the elected leadership has done to solve the problem at issue," she said.

At a speech later that summer titled "Women and Courage," Miers went further. Citing statistics that showed Texas's relatively high poverty rates, Miers said the public should not blame judges when courts step in to solve such problems.

"Allowing conditions to exist so long and get so bad that resort to the courts is the only answer has not served our state well," she said. "Politicians who would cry 'The courts made me do it' or 'I did not do that--the courts did' should not be tolerated."
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This type of judicial involvement ventures into ground held by elected legislators. We have a term for that--legislating from the bench--and it certainly doesn't abide a strict interpretation of the Constitution.

Credit Dems if their relief over her withdrawal is because of her lack of experience and qualifications. However, if they were disappointed because she was too conservative, they had better prepare for more of the same, as President Bush will no doubt nominate someone with a more conservative view of Constitutional interpretation. And if, as I predict (and hope) President Bush nominates someone who is more open in their opposition to Roe v. Wade, they (Dems) had better prepare themselves for a battle royal.

SL Tribune Makes BOTW

A piece in today's Best of the Web by James Taranto includes a comment from a member of the Utah National Guard. I include it here in its entirety.
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"Strange Bedfellows

The New York Times reports that Jeanine Pirro, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in New York, has received an unlikely endorsement--and probably an unwelcome one:

Cindy Sheehan, who has crusaded nationally against the war in Iraq since her son was killed there, called on antiwar activists yesterday not to support Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is seeking re-election next year. "I believe that any candidate who supports the war should not receive our support," Ms. Sheehan told The Associated Press in an interview. "It doesn't matter if they're Senator Clinton or whoever."

Meanwhile, the Salt Lake Tribune has a wonderful quote from First Lt. Bruce Bishop, a 31-year-old fireman, who explains that he plans to re-enlist in the Utah National Guard "because as I look around at the state of this nation and see all of the weak little pampered candy-[posteriors] that are whining about this or protesting that, I'd be afraid to leave the fate of this nation entirely up to them."

Mossberg--At last

The Mossberg Solution
By Walter S. Mossberg

A Screen Test
For the Video iPod

It Plays Short Clips Well,
But Downloads Can Be Slow;
Christopher Walken Dances

October 19, 2005; Page D1

As always, Apple Computer's charismatic CEO Steve Jobs caused quite a stir last week when he introduced his latest product at a big media event -- in this case, a sleek new full-sized iPod that, for the first time, can play video as well as music. In addition, he announced Apple would start selling videos online for $1.99 each, including music videos; short films; and fresh episodes of five ABC and Disney TV shows, including the hit series "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives."

To answer those more practical questions, my assistant Katie Boehret and I this week took a couple of the new video iPods -- officially called simply "the iPod," or the "fifth-generation iPod" -- for a short test drive.

Because of production schedules, we had only about 24 hours to try out the units Apple lent us -- two white 30-gigabyte models that will sell for $299 each. There's also a larger, 60-gigabyte version that will sell for $399. Both editions come in black as well as white. The iPods are already available in some stores, and will reach more over the next few days.

We tested nearly every aspect of the gadget -- which works on both Windows and Macintosh computers, with Apple's iTunes software and its iTunes Music Store -- starting with its familiar music functions. But we focused most of our testing on the new iPod's sexiest capability -- video.

Our verdict is that this new iPod is an excellent music player. It has all of the strengths that have made prior iPods monster hits, and a few subtle refinements. Plus, it's a surprisingly decent video player, with crisp, smooth vivid playback of TV shows, music videos, short films, video podcasts and home videos.

We wouldn't want to watch a full-length movie on this iPod -- the screen is just too small. But, for short things like music videos, video podcasts or even hourlong TV shows shortened by stripping out the commercials, as Apple is doing, the new iPod provides a pretty good experience.

However, there are some significant downsides to the video function on this iPod. Some of them are due to Apple's design decisions, while others are due to restrictions imposed by media companies, or to the simple human factors that go into watching video. For instance, the media companies have made very little content available, and have forced Apple to rig the video files so they can't be burned to CD or DVD disks. And, we found in our tests that it can get annoying to hold the new iPod in a good viewing position for long enough to watch a TV episode, because it doesn't come with a stand.

Just as Apple wasn't the first company to introduce a high-capacity, portable digital music player, it isn't the first with a portable digital video player. Firms like Archos, Creative Labs and Samsung got there first, some using software from Apple's archrival Microsoft. But, just as the original iPod blew away the existing products with a superior combination of design and functionality, the video iPod has a good chance of doing so, provided enough video content becomes available for it, and people prove willing to view video on a 2½-inch screen.

Because these conditions are unknown, even by Mr. Jobs, Apple wisely calls this primarily a music player, with video playback thrown in, at no extra cost, as a bonus. And that description seems both fair and right. In essence, this iPod's video capability is kind of a business or social experiment.

The new iPod is the slimmest, most pocketable portable video player I've seen. The $299 version is about 30% thinner than the previous $299 model, yet it holds 50% more material, and has a larger high-resolution color screen. Apple somehow enlarged the screen without enlarging the width. Still, the 2½-inch screen is smaller than on most other portable video players, and it's much smaller than the screens on the most frequently used mobile video viewers -- laptops and portable DVD players.

Apple claims that the 30-gigabyte hard disk on the model we tested can hold up to 7,500 songs, or 75 hours of video, or 25,000 photos. The 60-gigabyte model doubles that capacity for $100 more.

The base model claims 14 hours of battery life for music; three hours for photo slideshows accompanied by music; and a measly two hours for video playback. In our tests, video playback lasted a bit longer -- two hours and 20 minutes. The slightly fatter $399 model, which has room for a bigger battery, can do 20 hours of music, four hours of slide shows, and three hours of video.

Apple skimped on included accessories for this iPod. As in some other recent models, the new iPod has no wall charger in the box. It's a $29 extra. Unless you buy one, you'll have to charge it from your computer. The new iPod can display its video on a TV, with the right cable. But the cable costs $19 extra. And there's a nifty dock, which might even double as a viewing stand -- but it's $39 extra.

Like the tiny iPod nano introduced last month, the new full-sized iPod can display song lyrics, if you have added them to the song file using iTunes. Unlike the nano, however, the video iPod allows you to keep the lyrics, or a picture of the song's album cover, on the screen for the duration of a song, or even a series of songs.

To test the video, we downloaded two episodes of "Desperate Housewives" from the iTunes Store, including the one that ran this past Sunday night. These videos are about 43 minutes long, because they omit the commercials that swell the shows to an hour on TV. Each download took a bit over 20 minutes using an average DSL connection. That's a little bit longer than the 10 to 20 minutes Apple predicts. Your experience may vary, depending on the speed of your connection.

We also downloaded a short film, Pixar's "Boundin'," and were surprised that it took more than five minutes to retrieve -- longer than the film itself. We downloaded a music video, "Weapon of Choice," by Fatboy Slim, which features the deadpan actor Christopher Walken doing a fantastic dance. It also can take about as long, or longer, to fetch as its playing time. And we also downloaded from iTunes a free video podcast called "Rocketboom," featuring a woman reading a homemade newscast.

In addition, we obtained from a friend an illegally downloaded episode of the TV show "Battlestar Galactica," which she had converted to one of the video formats the iPod supports.

All of these videos played very well on the iPod, though each looked better on our Windows and Mac computers, where they play back in a window that is much smaller than the computer's screen, but much larger than the iPod's. In fact, I suspect some video fans will simply buy videos from Apple for playback on a computer, rather than on the iPod.

Still, the iPod did a good job with this material. It can easily scroll back and forth in a video. But there's no way to control screen brightness and contrast.

Unfortunately, the new iPod won't play most of the many millions of downloaded video clips and home videos people have acquired over the years, which are in older formats produced by Apple's own QuickTime video program, and by other common video programs on Windows. To play these files, you must use extra software to convert them to one of the three video formats the new iPod can handle -- MP4, H264, or M4V.

The rub is that iTunes itself doesn't perform these conversions. Instead you have to buy software to do so, or dig up free conversion software from various corners of the Internet. The $29 "Pro" version of Apple's QuickTime program can do the job most of the time, but not always.

Using QuickTime Pro 7.03, I was able to convert clips of some TV ads and some home videos so they would play on the new iPod -- even a video taken on my Treo cellphone. But some of my old video clips wouldn't convert at all, and a couple of old music videos I downloaded years ago converted improperly, omitting the sound.

This video format and conversion problem is a mess that will hold back the video iPod unless Apple fixes it by incorporating free, reliable, and easy video conversion in iTunes. The original iPod had no such problem playing most existing music files people had collected.

Apple should also include a stand with the video iPod, to get around the problem of holding the thing in viewing position for long periods. But, some other issues aren't as easily solved, such as laughing out loud in public, like a deranged person, at a funny scene only you can hear or see.

The new iPod is a handsome product that works well and is a good value. If you don't expect too much from its video function, you will find it a nice bonus. But, for now, we urge you to think of it primarily as a music player, just as Steve Jobs does.