New Orleans dodges a bullet, barely

Thank the good lord, the levees held, and New Orleans didn't flood, again. On the other hand, it was close. That video of the water sloshing over the top of the Industrial Canal levee is sobering. If the water rose another foot, it would have poured over the top and filled New Orleans up just like last time. Sounds like a lot more expensive, federally funded levee raising is in order.

Democrats slam Palin

Chatting with some democratic neighbors. "I can't understand how he could pick some one with just a journalism degree from Idaho. Couldn't he find someone from a decent school?" "And then she had that child, when she knew it was going to be defective."
Yuck.

"The Strongest Tribe" by Bing West

Great book on the Iraq war. Tells the story from the beginning right up to a couple of months ago. Tells of the combat, the units engaged and what they did, the political maneuvering in Washington and Baghdad, and gives thumbnail sketches of colorful American soldiers doing their best under tough circumstances.
Bing West, the author, was a Marine infantry man in Viet Nam, so he knows something about counter insurgency warfare. He has spent much time in Iraq, out in the field, ever since 2003. West is a well informed man with practical experience and first hand observations.
West details policy blunders by Washington and by the generals, but shows how the sheer excellence of the American fighting men overwhelmed the enemy and turned defeat into victory. US troops never flinched, never faltered, and always ran toward the sound of the guns. They endured back to back tours in Iraq, 120 degree summer heat, IED explosions, and enemy snipers. Out in the wild west of Anbar province, the front line soldiers made the connections with the tribal sheiks that sparked the Anbar Awakening and won the war. They used email and blogs to keep home front political support alive. With guys like this, anything is possible,
Great read.

Sarah Palin will be a great VP

That's the consensus of Republicans up here. Everyone loves her. Every one admits they never heard of her before McCain picked her, but they think she is great. The general feeling is any one who can raise five kids AND become state governor has got a lot on the ball. The other observation is that the other names (Romney, Huckabee, Guiliani and company) are boring and dull. Up here a gutsy and independent pick plays better than a conventional and boring pick.

Michael Totten says the Russians started it

Michael Totten is a free lance journalist who has spent much time in Iraq, out in the field with the troops. His dispatches on the Internet were/are the best reporting to come out of Iraq. He takes good photographs too. Any how Michael is in Tbilisi the other day getting a briefing from an American doing media relations work for the Georgian government. Sitting in on the meeting is Tom Goltz, old Caucausian hand, author of "Georgian Diary" and "Azerbaijan Diary", fluent in Russian, Georgian and various other dialects. Both men, Totten and Goltz, are highly creditable, experienced men of good judgment, and they are on the scene, not commenting from a cozy TV studio in New York.
They say the Ossetian "militia" , untrained and closer to bandits than a military, started the war by attacking and shelling existing Georgian positions. When the Georgians moved up re enforcements, the Russians called it an attack and rolled in the tanks.
There is a lot of different stories about who started it flying around. I'll believe Totten and Goltz 'cause I have read their stuff in the past and found it good, neither of them is a taker of sides, and they are present on the scene.

Back to college

Youngest son starts his sophomore year at Brooklyn Polytechnic. All his stuff fit inside the Caddy, didn't have to borrow a pickup truck like last time. It's 700 miles, round trip from here. Did it all in one day. Had son drive the way down, I drove all the way back. Caddy is still running well, A/C is powerful, 26 mpg, with a load.
New York roads are even worse than New Hampshire's. Giant axle breaking pothholes, continuous construction areas, miserable signage. Good thing it was Sunday, no rush hour traffic.
NYPD has plenty of budget. Cops on foot patrol everywhere. To protect the precinct station next to Polytech from drive by shootings, they have the street blocked off at both ends with police cruisers, with cops sitting behind the wheel. On Sunday.

Drilling vs "comprehensive energy bill"

The Republicans want to pass a law allowing off shore drilling. Nancy Pelosi calls for a "comprehensive energy bill". I think Nancy wants a "We let you do a little drilling but we get some big subsidies for worthy causes" bill. A compromise where some democratic programs that lack the votes to pass, get pushed thru in return for allowing America to increase the supply of fuel and bring the price down. Doesn't sound very public spirited or non partisan to this blogger.