Last week the U.S. and Russia briefly revisited the Cold War, as U.S. president Bill Clinton criticized his Russian counterpart, Boris Yeltsin, for a brutal war against Chechnya.
Yeltsin blasted Clinton over attempts "to put pressure on Russia" over Chechnya, noting that Moscow has a nuclear potential.
"Bill Clinton permitted himself yesterday to forget by a second, by a minute, by half-a-minute what Russia means and that Russia has a complete arsenal of nuclear weapons," said Yeltsin in Beijing. Clinton backs down and says he only disagrees with Russia, adding that he has an "obligation to say so." What a wus.
Former President Reagan would never have dismissed such comments by sounding like Clinton, who essentially told Yeltsin "oh, please, don't hurt me mister Russian leader, I am only doing what my country believes should be said. God forbid I actually sound like a strong leader."
Yeltsin's words are straight from the Cold War and the Nikita Kruschev book of rule where he said the U.S.S.R. "will destroy" the United States.
Rosie O'Donnell and other liberals kissing Hillary Clinton's butt are at it again, chiding New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for taking the homeless off the streets and putting them in shelters.
The Left is upset that homeless kids will be separated from their parents. Wouldn't shelters be better for their kids, where they are guaranteed meals and beds?
But if a parent does not want to go to a shelter, shouldn't the children be taken from the parents who live on the streets? Where is Child Services? Isn't this their job, to make sure kids aren't living in filth and relying on handouts? I'm no fan of big government, but if liberals want the best for children, I think being homeless is a big no-no.
Here's something you'll never see on network news: the activist who successfully lobbied the White House for the release of 14 jailed Puerto Rican separatists was a leader in the terrorist organization FALN, a congressional report obtained on Saturday alleges.
The report said that Luis Nieves Falcon corresponded with several top Clinton administration officials on the clemency and was a member and leader of the militant Puerto Rican independence group.
FALN -- the Spanish initials for the Armed Forces of National Liberation -- was responsible for a wave of bombings in the late 1970s and early 1980s that left six dead and dozens wounded.
"The fact that the White House and the Department of Justice were negotiating with a terrorist leader, and working with him as a partner to achieve the goal of letting the terrorists out of prison is unconscionable," Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ill.), head of the Committee on Government Reform, wrote.
Despite bad press and constant late-night jokes at their expense, NASA should not be deterred from going ahead with planned trips back to the Red Planet. Losing a $165 million spacecraft is unfortunate, but relatively minor compared to overall benefits of the program.
As a people, Americans and humans in general feel the need to explore and, to borrow Star Trek jargon, "better ourselves." Space is the new Manifest Destiny, where we can stretch and literally reach for the stars. So keep those chins up, NASA, and work on finding ways to actually explore the heavens, rather than bombarding other planets with our broken spaceships.
CNN/USA TODAY/GALLUP POLL
December 9-12
| Blame Gun Manufacturers for Crimes Committed With Guns? | |
| Completely | 4% |
| A lot | 20 |
| A little | 24 |
| Not at all | 51 |
| Sampling error: +/-3% pts. | |
| Who Would You Agree With If Government Sued Gun Manufacturers? | |
| Gun Manufacturers | 67% |
| Justice Department | 28 |
| Sampling error: +/-3% pts. | |
On Cuba:
Republican front-runner Gov. George W. Bush says economic sanctions on the regime of longtime Cuban strongman Fidel Castro should remain in place.
"I really think we should keep the pressure on," Bush said. "I'm worried that increased trade would only enhance a totalitarian regime." ("Bush visit attracts throngs in N.H.," Av Harris, Reuters, 8-1-99)
On China:
Bush praised the new U.S.-China trade agreement that could help ease China's entry into the World Trade Organization.
"I welcome news of an agreement that will open China's markets to American products and help introduce American values into China." (Politics 2000, AP, 11-16-99)