contradiction, quoting him saying “the problem is that you cannot commit future Congresses…”Yes, that is a problem, though it’s hardly a reason not to reform Social Security with personal accounts, considering that the capriciousness of Congress is a risk factor in any event. But bully for Greenspan for honestly talking about the problem. And shame on Krugman for seizing on a cautious note from Greenspan as a “gotcha.” I guess this is why Democrats say they love nuance so much — whenever a Republican makes a nuanced statement,Toms Shoes Outlet Store Sale, Democrats can position it as a contradiction.How can Krugman tell such lies? And how can he lie about something that millions of Americans heard with their own ears in real time: testimony by Greenspan that was broadcast live on several cable news networks? Well, this is not the first time Krugman has lapsed into wishful thinking in front of his television set and reported his fantasies as facts in the New York Times,cheap toms. Remember the time, before the election, he claimed that he heard bond traders in the Chicago markets chanting “Kerry, Kerry” when a disappointing jobs number came out? I’ve reviewed the tapes from the CNBC program Krugman claims he was watching. There was no such chanting. Krugman simply made it up out of thin air. He lied then, and he’s lying now.Despite Krugman’s lies then, Bush was re-elected. And despite Krugman’s lies now, Bush will get Social Security reform with personal accounts enacted. The truth is that Bush’s reform initiative got a tremendous boost from Greenspan’s endorsement last Wednesday. What the Maestro really said will carry a lot more weight than what an expert hack wrote about it in the Times.– Donald Luskin is chief investment officer of Trend Macrolytics LLC, an independent economics and investment-research firm. He welcomes your visit to his blog and your comments at don@trendmacro.com.[标签:标题]
You have to hand it to Syrian Baathist dictator Bashar Assad. He must be some kind of political savant. Who else could have brought together the United States and France–not to mention the European Union and the United Nations–in opposition to his country’s policies? On Monday, Presidents Bush and Chirac released a joint statement calling for the “full and immediate implementation of UNSCR 1559 in all its aspects, including its call for a sovereign, independent, and democratic Lebanon as well as for the consolidation of security under the authority of a Lebanese government free from foreign domination.” For “foreign domination” read “Syrian occupation;” Resolution 1559, adopted last September, is aimed at the 14,000 Syrian troops that have been occupying the country for nearly thirty years. Imagine that, a Joint US-French communiqué. We haven’t seen many of those since the Battle of Yorktown. Advertisement The assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri on February 14 was the latest in a decades-long series of political killings in Lebanon with Syrian fingerprints. Damascus saw Hariri as a potential leader for an emerging anti-Syrian united front of Christian, Druze, Sunni, and others factions. Elections are scheduled for late April, and while they cannot be free and fair while the Assad regime controls the levels of power in Lebanon, the opposition hoped at least to focus the world’s attention on their plight. Democracy has momentum, and exposing a sham election for what it is would build their political capital. Perhaps the Assad regime believed that removing Hariri would break up the resistance, but it had the opposite outcome. The assassination solidified opposition unity and made certain that the upcoming elections would be a cause of global concern. One Lebanese newspaper compared the unifying effect to the impact of September 11 in this country. President Bush has seized this strategic opportunity and made the election date the deadline for Syrian troop withdrawal. He stated that the elections could be “another milestone of liberty” sans Syrian obstruction. Secretary Rice threaten Related articles:

• http://zhangxiujuan.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=4114879
• http://www.chinamid.cn/bbs/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1309728
• http://colhua.com/home.php?mod=space&uid=236751&do=blog&id=2670172