Author Archives: Tony

Why Jack Straw Lost his Job

Plainly, the Tony Party is in deep, deep trouble. Labour not only got thumped in local elections all over Britain, it actually finished third. Hardly surprising, really, given the shambles that Blair’s cabinet had become, with John Prescott gefuffling with … Continue reading

Posted in Situation Report | 7 Comments

From Zarqawi’s Cutting Room Floor…

In the director’s cut, Zarqawi looks every inch the rambo figure as he busts loose with a heavy machine gun. The outtakes show he needed some help to fire the thing Yuck. You don’t really want to use the “cutting … Continue reading

Posted in 99c Blogging | 16 Comments

The Dragon of Mostar

The one thing all those years of brutal ethnic cleansing and pointless fratricidal war in the Balkans didn’t destroy was the dark sense of humor shared by all sides. Remember Mostar? The picturesque Bosnian town famous for its Ottoman era … Continue reading

Posted in Annals of Globalization | 6 Comments

At Least Now England Have an Excuse

Becks, Rooney and Owen: A Bridge Too Far? Yes, of course the loss of Wayne Rooney is devastating to England’s imagined World Cup prospects, but to be frank, those prospects were hopelessly over-imagined by the English media. Rooney’s injury, and … Continue reading

Posted in Glancing Headers | 4 Comments

As the Rebbe Goes, So Goes Hamas

Satmar Hasidim bury Rabbi Teitelbaum in Williamsburg, Brooklyn The Hamas-led Palestinian government is facing all manner of economic and political sanctions because of its refusal to “recognize” Israel’s right to exist. (There’s an absurd quality to this discussion, both because … Continue reading

Posted in A Wondering Jew | 11 Comments

Does the New York Times Know Who Rules Iran?

Iran, as Condi often notes, is run by unelected clerics. President Ahmedinajad is not one of them The election of President Mahmoud Ahmedinajad in Iran was the best thing that ever happened to the “real men go to Tehran” crowd … Continue reading

Posted in Situation Report | 12 Comments

What We Learn from Adidas

Zidane has a word with his player-coach I caugt Adidas’s hilarious new World Cup “equipo” ad (click here to view as MPG), whose conceit involves two ten-year-old boys in an unnamed Latin American country picking imaginary teams to play each … Continue reading

Posted in Glancing Headers | 13 Comments

You, Too, Can Invade Iran

If you see this man, kill him, quickly and quietly… This from Assault on Iran, one of the latest offerings from Kumawar.com, an online gaming company that offers live-action missions that allow you to solve all of today’s geopolitical problems … Continue reading

Posted in 99c Blogging, Situation Report | 7 Comments

Iran, Not Iraq, Fuels the ‘Rumsfeld Rebellion’

Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld in theirFord Administration days The retired generals (presumably, as is typical in U.S. public life, speaking on behalf of those still on active duty, since they can’t speak for themselves) who have — in a … Continue reading

Posted in Featured Analysis, Situation Report | 38 Comments

Osama, the Gunners and Me

Why Argentina? Yet another OBL photoshop job found on the Web Note to CIA Bin Laden trackers: If you want to catch OBL on Wednesday April 19, find a pub anywhere in Waziristan that has ESPN access, or conversely, do … Continue reading

Posted in Glancing Headers | 27 Comments