Obsidian Wings (Free subscription) | 23 hours ago
by Eric Martin Via John Cole comes this remarkable juxtaposition that the faithless among us will surely chalk up to mere happenstance. First: While Barack Obama is speaking about international affairs in Germany before thousands of fans tomorrow, John McCain...
Obsidian Wings (Free subscription) | 07/22/2008
by Eric Martin When initially confronted with the Iraq government's repeated statements regarding timelines and horizons for the withdrawal of US forces, McCain assured us that this wasn't really what they wanted. He knew better. I have been there too...
Obsidian Wings (Free subscription) | 07/22/2008
by publius I think this post succinctly captures the absurdity behind the whole "the surge won the war" wave that's sweeping across Republican circles -- and of course, elite media opinion. (And don't forget our own Eric Martin here and...
Obsidian Wings (Free subscription) | 07/22/2008
by Eric Martin For years I have been seeking to dispel the notion that the Sadrists are "vassals" of Iran, whereas Maliki's Dawa Party and ISCI (both either formed by, aided by and/or housed in Iran for most of the...
Obsidian Wings (Free subscription) | 07/21/2008
by Eric Martin In other Iraq news, the Sunni bloc that had previously withdrawn from Maliki's government last August has returned (in the nick of time - more on that below): The main Sunni Muslim bloc in Iraq has rejoined...
Obsidian Wings (Free subscription) | 07/21/2008
by Eric Martin Marc Lynch provides an update regarding the status of the provincial elections that were slated for October 1, but which have long seemed destined for a delay. According to various news outlets cited by the Aardvark, the...
Boardgame News (Free subscription) | 07/21/2008
By W. Eric Martin July 21, 2008 Publisher: Z-Man Games Designer: Richard James Players: 2 Ages: 10+ Playing Time: 25 minutes Release Date: 2008 Price: $10.00 Simple card games have a magic to them that’s absent from more involved games. When I first read the rules to No Thanks , for example, I raised a mental eyebrow and said, Is that it? Once you play No Thanks , though, you realize the genius of...
Boardgame News (Free subscription) | 07/19/2008
For those not in touch with the U.S. presidential race, today’s subject line comes courtesy of former Texas Senator Phil Gramm, a one-time advisor of Republican candidate John McCain, who in early July 2008 coughed up the following juicy quote to the Washington Times when asked about the state of the U.S. economy: “We have sort of become a nation of whiners. You just hear this constant whining, complaining...
Obsidian Wings (Free subscription) | 07/18/2008
by Eric Martin You might expect that after brash declarations like "Mission Accomplished" (2003), "last throes" Part I (2005), "last throes" Part II (2006), and Rich Lowry's infamous "We're Winning" cover photo and story (2005), Iraq war supporters would have...
Obsidian Wings (Free subscription) | 07/17/2008
by Eric Martin My colleague Brian Ulrich at American Footprints draws attention to Israel's latest attempt to counter the popularity of Hamas in the West Bank. Because Hamas derives part of its support by delivering vital social services to impoverished...
Obsidian Wings (Free subscription) | 07/16/2008
by Eric Martin Kevin Drum, as is his wont, applies an equanimous eye to the newly released Grand New Party by Ross Douthat and Reihan Salam. However, in the middle of a solid review, Drum squints a bit too hard...
Boardgame News (Free subscription) | 07/16/2008
By W. Eric Martin July 16, 2008 Publisher: Gamewright Designers: Brian S. Spence, Garrett J. Donner and Michael S. Steer Players: 2-4 Ages: 8+ Playing Time: 12 minutes Rules Language: English & Spanish Price: $6.50 Links: Version played: Production copy Times played: Five, four times with 2 and once with 3 Go Nuts! gives us all an opportunity to reflect upon punctuation, specifically the use of commas...
Obsidian Wings (Free subscription) | 07/15/2008
by Eric Martin In a recent two-part series, I tried to unpack the term "The Surge" and correctly identify what effect, if any, the actual Surge has had on events in Iraq, as opposed to the other shifts in tactics/strategies...
Obsidian Wings (Free subscription) | 07/15/2008
by Eric Martin As Marc Lynch reports, today's scheduled vote in the Iraqi parliament to determine the rules governing the provincial elections slated for October has been postponed until Thursday. Thursday is overly optimistic as well, however. The final vote...
Weazl's Revenge (Free subscription) | 07/14/2008
Fannie Plan a `Disaster' to Rogers; Goldman Says Sell By Carol Massar and Eric Martin July 14 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Treasury Department's plan to shore up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is an ``unmitigated disaster'' and the largest U.S. mortgage lenders are ``basically insolvent,'' according to investor Jim Rogers . Taxpayers will be saddled with debt if Congress approves U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry...
