Andante posted on Mike Huckabee being ignorant of the new Iran NIE. Like any blogger I went to the ‘Net to get the name of Huckabee’s national security or foreign policy advisor. Everything is not found on the “Tubes.”

As near as I can tell Chuck Norris is as close as he comes in either area. I think this is a rather serious oversight on the part of someone running for the office of president of the united states [i typed avoiding the caps and bold keys before i totally freak out.]

The Associated Press reports Teen births up for first time in 15 years

The birth rate had been dropping since its peak in 1991, although the decline had slowed in recent years. On Wednesday, government statisticians said it rose 3 percent from 2005 to 2006.

The reason for the increase is not clear, and federal health officials said it might be a one-year statistical blip, not the beginning of a new upward trend.

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Julia at Sisyphus Shrugged is now posting at Fire Dog Lake, perhaps to escape the recent takeover of LiveJournal by buddies of Vladimir Putin. Livejournal is popular in Russia and owning it is an effective way of keeping track of bloggers without being obvious.

Tom at Tbogg has moved to Fire Dog Lake as well, with a separate main page.

Fire Dog Lake itself has a new look. I can’t say that I would have ever decided that advertisements with an RSS feed was a winner, but I wish them well.

I’ll leave the links up on the blogroll, but it’s too much of a PITA to visit and make multiple clicks to read anything. YMMV

The BBC covers the US Supreme Court oral arguments in the efforts of detainees to get a court hearing: Guantanamo legal showdown begins

The US Supreme Court is deciding whether inmates at Guantanamo Bay camp should have the right to contest their detention in US civilian courts.

Two cases challenge the removal by Congress of the “habeas corpus” right of detainees under the US constitution to be heard by an independent judge.

If the court rules in their favour, indefinite detention under military control could be declared unlawful.

The court’s judges have ruled against the US government in two earlier cases.

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Farideh Farhi at Informed Comment Global Affairs listened to the Shrubbery’s presser and wonders: What is George Bush Smoking?

It was also during the Khatami presidency, in 2003 and beyond, that the Bush Administration reportedly ignored Iran’s offer of a deal and continuously complained about the European track to negotiate with Iran. In fact, as late as spring and summer of 2005, until the last days of Khatami’s presidency, the Bush Administration refused to allow the Europeans to entertain any scenario that would permit Iran to contemplate engagement in any enrichment-related activity even in the future.

As I discuss here in 2005, it was this intransigence that ultimately led Iran to bring its uranium conversion plant in Isfahan out of suspension during the last days of the Khatami Administration.

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