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Wednesday, July 28, 2004

Lifting the Curtain Again

It’s time to raise the curtain yet again. Today is the first in a series exposing parts of the blogosphere for what they are - tools used by think tanks to create perception, form public opinion, raise money and control the political outcomes in elections. Some of you may know of one of the top-rated blogs named Atrios Eschaton. It has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for political candidates and its loyal members donated freely led by the blog’s founder Atrios.

Let’s lift the curtain on the blogosphere, one blog at a time. Today we shall learn about Atrios (aka Mr. Black) and the financial empire that created and uses him.

Atrios real name is Duncan Black, 32, leftist economics teacher and member of the Media Matters for America. He has spaced out the letters of the name on the bottom of his blog to read D u n c a n B l a c k so that it wont come up on search engines. Whoa! Clever Mr. Black, but why are you hiding? Oh wait. I know why you're hiding, but your readers and contributors don't.

Mr. Black writes excessively for all sorts of hard leftist internet rags -- all which are linked. Such ridiculous things as the Disinfopedia - a leftist take on the “conservative” media industry, which is meant to buy distrust in conservatives. The name is apt. Here’s how Mr. Black's resume reads:


Duncan B. Black holds a PhD in economics from Brown University. He has held teaching and research positions at the London School of Economics; the Université catholique de Louvain; the University of California, Irvine; and, recently, Bryn Mawr College. He also has been involved with grassroots political activism. Black is a Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America.


A little digging and we see that Mr. Black gave lectures. On November 16 1999 he gave a lecture, "Urban Evolution in the US". Sadly his Atrios readers missed that one. What "urban evolution" has to do with economics is of course the question until one realizes "economics" is the progressive study of choice for folks who believe in wealth redistribution and are almost devout anti-capitalists.

It says a lot and yet says nothing. Who really believes that Mr. Black, with just an economics Phd, lecturing about "urban evolution", can afford to set up all these websites and have the time to manage them? So who are these others and what other fake “populist” blogs have been set up to mislead the American public. It’s time for the “Show me the money“ tagline.

Media Matters for America lists David Brock as the President and CEO of Media Matters for America. He is the author of a number of left-wing books and is a self-labeled “Ex-conservative” though it's apparent he was just one of many wanna-be journalists who accepted any money anyone would give him and has found the biggest bucks lie on the left. David could most certainly afford to run all these things and I suppose having more left-leaning Americans will bring in more money for his books.




But that’s not it. Brock is still just another very low-level underling in an even greater agenda. He may not even be bright enough to know it, he doesn't seem to be at the level of self-awareness yet. Media Matters for America was developed by The Center for American Progress a liberal think tank founded by John Podesta, Bill Clinton’s Chief of Staff. He, too, is just another underling serving a larger power.



The Center for American Progress has received over 3 million dollars from billionaire George Soros. Moveon.org received 5 million. These are pittances to George Soros but can fund these organizations salaries, media campaigns, anti-American rallies and what-have-you. For all intents and purposes he becomes their boss. They know he is paying their salary.

Now with Soros here is where it gets interesting and also very anti-American. Soros made money speculating against the British pound, he made 1.1 billion dollars doing so. He also messed up the Malaysian currency and is a financial market parasite, a Gordon Gekko for the 21st century. He holds some very anti-western views. He believes the financial markets benefit the west and wants to bring the west’s money to undeveloped countries. He wants to loot American and European wealth and redistribute it.

So why does Soros hate Bush and want to put Kerry in office? Probably because if he can get a weak, puppet Kerry administration in office, he wont have anyone to thwart him as he loots American’s pocketbooks and lives out his delusional fantasy of himself as a global Robin Hood.

Let me tell you the way the land lies. The Clinton administration was a joke. Clinton was totally unprepared for the Presidency and his hangers on, kids mostly, were pulled from educational institutions to staff a whole plethora of positions that really required qualified folks. Arkansas leftovers and a hodge-podge of employees were contributors whose personal interests were completely off Clinton’s radar. Security checks and background checks weren’t performed in a timely manner or at all. The result? An SEC which didn’t enforce laws, looked the other way, and permitted the largest bilking of stockholders in history. The leakiest White House since Truman needed to restore it and it also facilitated missile technology transfer to China and a huge shift in the edge America had over the rest of the world in this key technology.

Why?

Who would gain from such a thing? Lots of folks gained. The Chinese gained. Venture capitalists and folks who knew exactly how to ride IPOs for cash were making tens of millions, even hundreds of millions. A lot of unethical folks are living very comfortably today, thank you very much, due to the Clinton administrations dislike of law enforcement. Martha Stewart made a billion on her IPO and she was just as corrupt as were hundreds of thousands of others from all over the world. Folks like Soros made out even better. The banks were in on it. Everyone was greedily tapping America’s wealth -- and now after the bubble collapse -- that wealth has just up and vanished. Redistributed to folks who exploit financial markets - -like Soros.




American wealth was redistributed to the same folks who want Bush out and Kerry in.

Eye-opening isn’t it.

Bush brought in another team - an experienced team. A team which has to fight against the internationalists like Soros trying to loot America. So progressives are the foot soldiers working for folks like Soros who really wants to empty their pockets and their neighbors pockets. Soros has said removing Bush from office is the “central focus of my life”. This is because Bush and his team of qualified people are knowledgeable enough to thwart Soros and bring order back to the financial markets, stability in stock prices.

So Atrios or Mr. Black are just the lowest level foot soldiers for the progressive movement -- the progressive movement being the desire to take money out of American hands and redistribute it as George Soros and other power-hungry exploiters see fit.

Bush and those that surround him have their own backers and another integrated team of think tanks, policy people and financial experts. Some folks don’t want to see America become a third world country and want to keep America strong. These folks are other billionaires who don’t share Soros Robin Hood guilt complex. Sure, lots of them have self-motivated goals, but for Americans, those self-interests keep them in the loop.

So today several think tanks are earning their money batting both for and against Soros. The best way to battle Soros is through information. An informed public will soon see right through the “progressive” infrastructure of organizations and groups and see they are being led on a suicidal march and their own frustrations will be exploited -- and used against them and their fellow Americans!

Money buys a lot. Once you get into that billionaire zone you get power hungry. Fortune 500 ranking grubbing is a popular past-time as they struggle to give purpose to meaningless lives. Another billion here, a higher ranking next year! Other rich folk decide to play power broker filling nations governments with employees loyal to them - folks much like Podesta who are in a position to facilitate their funders wishes and climb the power and wealth ladder by grubbing to these wealthy patrons. These groups such as Moveon.org are just umbrellas for a whole bunch of anti-American groups funded by powerbrokers who have been eating at the pillars of American democracy for the past century. The Clinton administration and the internet have not been good to America. The wall which kept out these anti-American types has eroded and now all the out of work socialists and communists from Eastern Europe and from around the world are being used by folks like Soros to fulfill their anti-west, anti-US agendas. The UN, naturally, plays a role in attempting to diminish American influence and rally the undeveloped nations against America, when they should be encouraging them to adopt US style government and capitalism.

Well that’s the end of today’s lesson. I haven’t gone into why American wealth shouldn’t be redistributed, I’ve taken it as a given that readers here understand the value of a powerful America and the success of capitalist financial markets. If you’re still struggling with those concepts you’ll need a blog that has a lot of generally conservative folks who can explain it to you. Future curtain lifting will always occur here, so book mark the site -- so you too can see the big picture.

Tuesday, July 27, 2004

Why I like Dick Cheney




Not a lot of people know much about Dick Cheney. The media doesn’t show many pictures of him smiling, but Cheney does smile. He smiles a lot. The media just seems to consistently miss those moments. They must be unlucky, I guess -- cause Cheney has a pretty good smile. If you ask some folks all they know is he worked for Halliburton. They generally don’t know much more than that. A lot of people dislike him just because of that. Can you believe it? Working for a company, especially one that deals with oil, that alone can suddenly make someone dislike or even hate someone else? I don’t get it. I know enough about Dick Cheney to like him. As a matter of fact, I think he is one of the best Vice Presidents our country has had in a long time.

Dick Cheney may be at home in a suit and tie, but to folks who have watched his career know he’s equally at home with a fishing rod and reel. He’s from the other big sky country, Wyoming, and while it’s not as nice of a sky as we have down here in Arizona, it still fosters big perspectives.




But lots of folks fish and that’s not reason enough to like a man. I don’t even know if he’s a good fisher or if he casts like an amateur. I bet he tries hard though. That’s one of the things I like best about him, he’s always trying his best. He’s been around the DC block. He worked as Chief of Staff for President Gerald Ford. He was younger then and had more hair, but he still visits with Ford and talks about the good ol’ days, and I like that.



His experience came in real handy on 9-11. After the President was evacuated to safety Cheney took command of the White House and helped formulate the response on one of America’s darkest days.



Dick Cheney is the sort of person you want as a VP. He doesn’t sit on his hands. He has experience and knows how best to put it to use. Whether he is talking to the President or to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, he is helping manage the country’s business -- and doing so while making it appear effortless. America needs a second in command who is really qualified to be President. America has that in Dick Cheney and I like that.




Dick Cheney has done a lot during our trying times. He has visited Europe, Asia and the Middle East to talk with our allies and keep the lines of communication open with those who are not so allied with us. He’s bended the ear of many for the benefit of the US. He’s even been talking to that man in the Vatican, the Pope.







There is a phrase that goes, “the hardest working man in show business” which is used to describe someone who busts his rear to make things happen. Dick Cheney, like Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld and Colin Powell is definitely vying for the title of “the hardest working man in politics.” He’s surely racked up enough miles for America’s security and visiting coalition nations in Air Force Two to have earned himself some bonus points. I appreciate that.




Cheney supports space exploration, cultivating and promoting new sources of energy and is a good friend of the tech sector. That means progress, jobs and keeping America on the technical forefront. I like that. He understands the value of technological development and as a former CEO he understands how important it is that government not unnecessarily hinder corporate research and development. Having a vice-president that has actually run a business is a great asset to American business. Our economic recovery is due in part to the wisdom and input of men like Dick Cheney. When he speaks even Alan Greenspan listens.





That’s pretty cool. When one knows just how much time Cheney, and his wife Lynne, have devoted to the well being of our country it’s pretty hard to watch the man be talked down as if he was some monster. I know the conservative platform is against cloning, but if we ever do start cloning we could use about a hundred Dick Cheneys in DC and the place would run as smooth as the second hand on one of those fancy Swiss watches. Folks paying attention know just how good George Bush’s judgment is -- because he picked Dick Cheney to be his Vice President. He’s not about looks or charisma -- even though his wife Lynne might disagree -- rather he is about competence and ability -- something he has in abundance. I like that about Dick Cheney, and so should the rest of America.

Sunday, July 25, 2004

Why I like George W. Bush




I like George W. Bush. He's a good guy. In a world where most folks wear grey hats or black hats - he's wearing a white one. Out here in the rugged desert, where I live, one develops an ability to judge a man or a woman and their character rather quickly. I can spot a less than sterling character in a few moments. I can tell a genuinely kind woman from a fake smile and countenance at thirty yards. Out here we have rattlers, big ones, that if you approach will sink their venomous teeth into your leg without hesitation. As a result, one learns to look closely at the path one is traveling. One can tell a lot about a man by the company he keeps - birds of a feather always flock together and wolves hunt in packs. George Bush keeps excellent company. His wife is not ambitious or power-hungry and this reflects upon his character. His appointments speak volumes about Bush the man, his beliefs, his values and his prejudices - or lack of them.





Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice are great company to be in. Character? Definitely. Integrity? Off the charts. The media shows its own character deficiency as they ignore the accomplishments of these two for our United States - for political reasons. I like Bush for choosing them. He certainly didn't have to choose them, but he did. I like that.

Bush has done a lot of things I like. His administration has been blasted as a bastion for fundamentalist Christianity and yet his administration was the first to permit a Menorah to be lit in the White House.




I like that. It certainly was not the act of a man holding religious prejudices. How can one reconcile the various interfaith activities of George W. Bush other than to realize he demonstrates respect for other's faiths and beliefs? Less than a week after 9-11, Bush visited a Muslim Temple and chatted with Muslim leaders in the DC area to sound out their thoughts and feelings. This is not the hardened face of a "crusader" on a mission to destroy Islam as some critics of George Bush and the Iraq war would have you believe.



Quite the contrary - George Bush is a man who respects others beliefs and has attempted to separate Islam from the fanatical terrorists which commit atrocious acts of violence in the name of Islam. He didn't have to do that either. He did though - and I like that.

On the foreign policy front, and with the encouragement and support of Condoleezza Rice, Bush has reached a working relationship with Russia and invited Vladimir Putin
to his Crawford ranch to privately tell him we were going to back out of the obsolete Ballistic Missile Treaty and pursue Ballistic Missile Defense. He did so and did so in a manner that did not create a new arms race.





The media hasn't touted that victory and you wont find that accomplishment listed on any blogs either. However, as someone who is well aware of the threats that face the United States, I do appreciate the value of that. A lot.

Which leads us to Afghanistan and Iraq. Anyone who was aware of the brutal regime of the Taliban which would execute women, cut off hands and gouge out eyes or stone people to death, can't help but realize the amazing turnaround for the millions of inhabitants of Afghanistan. To say that this is foreign policy victory is an understatement - it is a new life and new hope for what was one of the most repressed regions on the face of the earth - A place where listening to music could get you killed and those who owned a radio hid it carefully and listened to it in secret. Women were worthless under the Taliban regime. Now they have freedom to learn and live life in a manner only dreamed of four short years ago. George W. Bush likes women. He has done a lot for women throughout the world during his first term. That's fairly obvious to anyone keeping score.




President Bush met with two women who were rescued from the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Two women who were doing humanitarian work and relief efforts and were jailed for three months. Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer hit it off with Bush at once. It's that birds of a feather bit again.

In Iraq, one of the worst mass-murdering tyrants of the Middle East has been deposed by US forces and stands trial by his own people. I like that. We've lost about a thousand men and women who put their lives on the line to put an end to the Saddam regime. I don't like those who want to diminish their sacrifice to win an election and claim that UN forces could've secured Iraq better - a falsehood that anyone with knowledge of UN peacekeeping history could quickly prove fallacious.

President George W. Bush has one of the most experienced teams in Presidential history interfacing with the rest of the world and keeping America secure. It's really hard not to like that. I like to call them the Four Musketeers.




This team managed to give the Iraqis sovereignty ahead of schedule...



I like that too.


Yes, George Bush likes women. He's surrounded himself with one of the finest, Condoleezza Rice - who as anyone on the inside knows is inseparable from Bush much of the time. Even at breakfast with the Danish Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen. No, Condoleezza Rice is not as the left suggests "color" for his administration - she is one of the President's MVPs - and the media and the left can't forgive her for that.

But not me. I like Condi - I like Condi a lot.




Of all women though, George Bush likes his wife Laura best of all. I really like that. In a world where infidelity and failed marriages are common and even moreso among cheating, lying politicians - it's nice to see a relationship that is bonded by love, not greed or lust for power.





George Bush is a good guy. He's not perfect. He's not a saint - but he's a good guy. He's surrounded himself with other good people. Those are just some of the reasons I like George W. Bush and intend to vote for him in November. There are many more, but this just was a sampling. Out here in the unforgiving desert being able to discern the good from the bad is very important. I can only hope that the rest of America will be able to do the same. Not for George Bush's sake - but for America's.

Saturday, July 17, 2004

John Kerry Panders but do Skeletons Loom Large?

Kerry has been busy pandering.  The question is is it enough to overcome the skeletons that his campaign knows are rattling so noisily in his closet and which may burst forth after he is safely secure as the Democratic nominee? 
 
Both of the major teachers' unions support Kerry.  He has promised them more money by taxing America more and we all know that throwing tax money at teachers and schools, after filtering it through several layers of bureaucracy and politicians is the best way to educate a child.  And the left say they don't believe in "trickle down" schemes!
 
Then Kerry goes and speaks to the NAACP organization which has diminished in clout and membership as its mission, ironically, becomes clearly racist in a world where racial barriers have long since been dropped.  Even more interestingly he pledged to stop the genocide in Sudan as he addressed them.  He could only have patronized them more if he had said he promised to get more cable channels in prisons and appoint judges who believe in light sentencing.
 

Unfortunately, this far left pandering and patronizing leaves centrists shaking their heads.  Following a Dukakis-style campaign agenda is not exactly a formula for appealing to undecided voters which generally lean conservative by default.   But since this is an SDAI blog, I promise to reveal just a bit of the less well known tidbits.  Let's look to why Kerry is following a disastrous far left approach to the Presidential Campaign in 2004 and what may threaten to destroy his bid for the Presidency.
 
Cameron Kerry.  He is John Kerry's brother and has a major influence on the way the campaign is run.
 
And Cam agreed that Cam should go over to Israel to try and woo the Jewish vote since they secretly fear that more Jews are strongly behind Bush because of all he has done in the Middle East and his unwavering support of Israel.   Cam has many business ties with Israel and so it was felt that he was a good spokesperson to assure Israel that Kerry would stand firm with Israel.   The Kerry Campaign have released a position paper, Strengthening Israel's Security and Bolstering the US-Israel Special Relationship.  It's safe to say that the Jewish vote is obviously a key concern.  And why shouldn't it be?  President Bush has removed Saddam from office - a man who was funding Palestinian suicide terror bombers targeting Israel.  Not only that, but he has let Sharon have a completely free leash as he builds the security wall and does what much of the global community has been adamantly opposed to.  There has never been a more pro-Israel President than George Bush.
 
Basically, the whole Kerry campaign is all about pandering. Pander to the loyal, if somewhat simple (judging from his wife's comments), Democratic base.  Pander based upon race and religion as evidenced by his efforts to attract Blacks, Mexicans and Jews.    
  
But what about the skeletons?  What things still await revealing after Kerry has been secured as the Democratic nominee?  His ex-wife, Julia Thorne, wrote a book which catered to the folks suffering from depression, You Are Not Alone.  If John Kerry can mess up a woman and make her so depressed she has to write a book about it - do we really want to see this man anywhere near the Presidency?  Hasn't he already done enough damage?  Julia also wrote another book about surviving divorce. 
 
I, for one, haven't forgotten about the intern ("Get in touch with my office. Maybe there's something you can do for the campaign") Kerry recruited in Switzerland.  The fact that it was her own friend (known to her since the tenth grade) who leaked to the press that she believed she was sleeping with Kerry is a somewhat damning detail.  Close friends seldom make mistakes of that nature.   Her tale of being falsely-accused has all the earmarks and touches of a professional speechwriter (I know quite a few) and seems like the most un-investigated story of 2004 despite all the press run in early February.  There are so many questions waiting to be unleashed after the convention and we know that the Democrats are collecting as many photos of Abu-Ghraib as possible to release and counter any new details of Kerry philandering which will likely emerge.  Has John Kerry cheated on his current wife and did he cheat on his ex-wife?  There are lots of Clinton defenders out there who say this is nobody's business.   If he were not a politician that might be true - but he is one and he is asking for trust and votes.  It's obvious that the man whom Alexandra Polier described as "flirtatious" is another Lothario like Clinton and I suspect any woman who reads his ex-wife's book probably wont trust him either.  Al Gore's wife suffered clinical depression as well.  Apparently these power-grabbing Democratic Senators leave women depressed?  Do they all cheat on their wives with twenty-something interns?  
 
Theresa Heinz Kerry knows Senators.  Her deceased husband was one - a Republican - Senator John Heinz III.  She married John Kerry in 1995, seven years after John Kerry's annulment to his wife of 18 years and only four years after the death of her husband.  Theresa Heinz was married to John Heinz in 1966.  In 1995 they would have celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary.   As it is she was married to a Republican for 25 years.  Does anyone besides me find it strange that one could be married to someone for 25 years and then turn around and marry someone who holds completely the opposite political views?  I find that very strange.  Theresa Heinz met John Kerry in 1990 - on Earth Day.  They met again in 1992 only a few months after her husband's death and she officially started dating Kerry in 1993. 
 
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say Theresa Heinz Kerry didn't have much love for her former husband since her mourning period was practically non-existent.   The phrase gold-digger comes to mind but that would be too obvious and is not appropriate for someone who inherits nearly a billion dollar fortune.  The appropriate phrase is she, like Jackie Kennedy Onassis before her, merely seeks qualified husbands.  The Republicans will go soft on her because they fear she has dirt on some Republicans which she has passed on to Kerry to reveal when he gets in trouble.  She would make a very scary First Lady and I suspect she could be dubbed Hillary II - only better educated and fluent in 5 languages.  Laura Bush never looked so good.  In these days when one gets "two for the price of one" as Bill Clinton so ineloquently put it, it is important to look very closely at the wives of the candidates for President.
 
Do these somewhat soap-opera quality tales threaten Kerry's campaign?  Should we be concerned that Kerry is in bed with a quarter-century 'Republican' and Heinz quickly cozied up to a lifelong Democrat within months of her husband's death? Should we worry that Kerry is picking up young women and having coffee with them in Switzerland and who knows where else?  
 
We should, but most will not.  Very few folks know the particulars and nowadays, in every good campaign, there are folks who are hired to purge the web of embarrassing or incriminating tidbits, especially photographs.  The typical Kerry voter which Theresa has labeled "simple", has no strong compulsion to vote on marriage fidelity or family issues.  Whether they be kids, teachers or low-level government workers, they simply want gold as well.  They are the dwellers of Nottingham who await Kerry to don Peter Pan tights and rob from the rich and businesses to give to the loyal, persecuted Kerry supporters.  But since we were delicate with Theresa, we should be equally delicate with these Kerry voters -  they are not merely unintelligent gold-seekers, they are voters who select a qualified President.  
  
  
  

Saturday, July 10, 2004

A Very Interesting Debate on Gay Marriage...

...is occurring over at Asymmetrical Information. I've added my ten cents worth. One of the best results of the thread was the discovery of Myria (Christa to her friends) who has a blog which has just been added to a very limited blogroll. (Wolf and Turtle) She has some interesting perspectives and is worth a look. We'll keep building the blogroll one good blog at a time.

Addendum 7-11-2004
Apparently Myria has pulled her blog off the web. Well...the power of a SDAI-tech1 endorsement certainly doesn't seem to do a blog a lot of good does it? Sometimes folks don't like a lot of high level attention. Oh well. Time to pull the link from the blogroll.

Saturday, July 03, 2004

Ken's Scr-wed!

Sorry Ken. She's dumped you.

Barbie's officially dumped Ken. Well at least on the German version of the Barbie.com empire. She dumped him for Blaine.

The site was running a voting campaign and there were three new men vying with Ken for Barbie. The choice was also offered for people who felt Barbie should stay alone.

But the voting was cover up to conceal the real reasons behind the break-up.

I heard rumors as to why she dumped Ken. Ken was going through a serious midlife crisis. He moved to Europe, visited Neuschwanstein and Ken soon manifested clear delusions of grandeur. Ken (not available in North or South America) decided not to return to the US and when caught by Barbie watching and applauding the Michael Moore film Fahrenheit 9/11 at Cannes - this was the straw that broke the Camel's back. All this only two days after having heard from Midge that it was possible Ken was the real father of Nikki - not Alan.

Can we blame her for choosing Blaine? He may be a lazy Australian surfer whose favorite phrase is "You're dreaming!" but he clearly has his head screwed on straighter than Ken at this point.

;-)

Thursday, July 01, 2004

The Condoleezza Doctrine.




 
The President of the United States chose very well when he picked the first African-American National Security Adviser. Condoleezza Rice is not only qualified for the job she holds, but if one looks very closely one can see that she has brought a freshness of outlook to National Security policy. Ms. Rice has strongly advocated a sort of US self-awareness that was lacking in the post-Soviet era. She holds the view that we are now the world's primary power and our national security policy must morph to adapt to the new reality.

After decades of minimalist shifts in policy and an elaborate tight rope walk over diplomatic pitfalls, the US finds itself again upon solid ground and we are no longer forced to travel in a single direction traveling ever so slowly all the while. Now we must prioritize our national security issues, both long-term and short term.

It would not be an exaggeration to state that the President has surrounded himself with possibly the most experienced and pro-active group of policy makers of any Presidential administration. I personally believe that Condoleezza's views and discussions with the President are the very heart of the Bush doctrine. I believe she, not Cheney or Rumsfeld, has almost single-handedly shaped the post-Iraq US diplomatic efforts.

Ms. Rice has been snubbed by the media and to a large degree she has been snubbed by the African American community which could easily point with inestimable pride to Ms. Rice who at this very moment is one of the 5 most powerful women in the world. For the past four years she has been more powerful and influential than the Queen of England with only the tiniest fraction of her wealth. Even Senator Hillary Clinton, who clandestinely works a small Democrat shadow government in exile, cannot currently match her influence.

Many claim her experience in Soviet affairs is obsolete in today's world. Again, her influence is underestimated. The Putin-Bush relationship, which is tighter than Bush's relationships with German and French leaders, is due to the efforts of Ms. Rice. Her knowledge and understanding of Russian influence helped to push Bush and Putin together during Afghanistan and their friendship and mutual agreements have created a unique Russo-American pact which gets almost no press at all, but which has helped create a network of information sharing and clandestine mutual assistance simply unprecedented between our nations.

That is simply a remarkable accomplishment.

As Europe's left and right fight for their political goals, America is viewed as just another hungry cat at the milk bowl and the United States really has only the United Kingdom left on its dance card. When that dance is over, the US will be largely alone in a world of envious nuclear powers.

Playing out such a scenario, the US needs a new set of allies to offset the EU political bloc. To those who are observant, the Condoleezza Doctrine is already laying the necessary groundwork with the ever-sympathetic Colin Powell doing much of the legwork.

The US is actively positioning itself for the inevitable EU/US rift which is only presently symbolized by rabid anti-Bush sentiment. Again, here are two brilliant Americans whose accomplishments are completely ignored by the media.

Who would ever imagine that with George Bush's son as President we would really befriend the politicians who composed the former USSR? Indeed, I can foresee a day when the US and Russia are not just allies, but close allies. Already this is true in the war on terror, but I suspect that as China rapidly increases its technological stature over the next two decades, we will create a bond of great strength with Russia. India as well will be a likely future ally and the tri-alliance of these nations will have to curb a modernized and hungry China.

Ms. Rice will deserve credit for this unexpected accomplishment and indeed her expertise will help to balance the inevitable shifts in global power and curb foreign aggression in the future.

The bottom line is that Condoleezza Rice is ensuring US security for far more than just the 4 or 8 years she will hold her position. Her influence, ideas and impact will be much larger and clearly reverberate throughout the entire 21st century.