The Parthian Shot Let us acknowledge, this chilly Washington morning, the deaths of 130 and wounding of hundreds of others in the crowded Sarriya market in Baghdad. They died for the crime of shopping for dinner, and some religious schism a thousand years old. It was about a ton of explosives, the biggest vehicle-borne explosive […]

The moon is no ghostly galleon this morning, though it floats in a wind tossed sky above the west parking lot of Big Pink. Silver light from its serene pale face battles that of the rising sun. It will lose, of course, but it is not going without a struggle. Rays of cold seem to […]

It is Seattle coffee in the drip percolator this morning. The Russian stuff has run out, and I will not be re-supplied until next month. It is back to the industrial-sized bags of beans that produce and industrial-size buzz. I am confident that the Seattle name has nothing to do with the beans themselves, which […]

A Department At War It is a good morning some places. The nomination of Mike McConnell seemed to sail right through the Senate Intelligence Committee yesterday, and will go to the floor shortly for final passage. I heard him on the radio, a little wary in tone, but confident and authoritative. I was proud when […]

A Matter of Honor It was cold, bitter cold for Washington, but the sun flew solo in the blue, and was doing its best to limn every branch and leaf with brilliance. A few forlorn patches of snow remained where there were perpetual shadows in the lee of the graceful Memorial Bridge as I swung […]

It is bitter cold in Arlington, and the backbone electric system at Big Pink is showing its age while exacerbating mine. The wind has been beating on the windows all night, a series of methodical body blows that are sucking the warmth out while thrusting spears of cold in. I wish I could travel back […]

It is budget season. The big books are going up to the Hill and the staffers are sharpening their pencils and preparation for correcting the President’s needs. There are new faces, and new agendas. Things are different up there, which causes extra anxiety. Parking has always been at a premium on the Hill, and with […]

We Never Sleep It was with some anxiety that I woke at 0445 on America’s East Coast to see if all was right with the world. Had the Public Radio affiliate at American University in fact picked up the essential BBC World Update program after the brutal classical music coup d’etat at WETA? The alarm […]

I didn’t get the body count until relatively late this morning. Normally, I like to get that out of the way early and move on. The radio station I have to listen to now that provides weekday access to the world has a long-standing tradition of serving the Bluegrass Community. That is fine, in its […]

Then, Sink the Boat Asymmetric warfare is a conundrum. When confronting an imperial power with mighty resources, fear and uncertainty are cheap and effective counterweights. Yet when terror is the weapon of choice, there is a limit even to horror. How much can anyone removed from it actually absorb? I could do the headlines from […]