Archives: January 2009

Mousa Abu Marzook, a senior member of Hamas exiled in Damascus, has another opinion piece out, this one, naturally, regarding the Israeli incursion into Gaza.

No matter what one may think of Condoleezza Rice’s diplomatic record — which I think is better than many liberal critics gauge — the fact that Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gave her a kick in the teeth as she departs her office is obnoxious and harmful all around.

I’ve been more than a bit irritated by Vice President Cheney’s recent comment that no one saw the financial crisis coming. In response, Zachary Karabell has a very interesting essay on Robert Shiller and his prescience not only about the financial crisis but the character and drivers of that meltdown.

Well, I’m not losing real badly — but not winning either. I might make a big push on Monday to pull in a couple of thousand votes — but if you want to help by sending your ten or twenty or hundred best friends to vote for The Washington Note, we’d be quite pleased.

David Sanger has an important and revealing piece coming out Sunday on the security and survivability of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. In addition to depicting the vulnerability of Pakistan’s nuclear complex, the article illuminates some other pressing elements the incoming administration will need to apprehend.

For those of you who can’t laugh now and then, move on. I’ll be serious again soon. Promise.

Washington, DC is now in a pensive state — just waiting for the Inauguration festivities to finally, really arrive. I’ve just finished telling a number of folks that I’m just out of beds for those who hoped to crash (for free) at my place.

This just in from a TWN regular reader who had a White House tour: Steve, you’ll love this. Just took a tour of the West Wing. One of the pictures outside the Situation Room (apparently they change them frequently) is of Cheney with “Angler” open on his desk.

Paul Kerr at Total WonKerr has an interesting piece up about Iran’s nuclear intentions. I think he’s on target and have long felt that what Iran wants less than a nuclear weapons program is a nuclear weapons “option.