THE TROUBLE WITH PROXY WARS: some thoughts on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We did not win because our leadership, abetted by Washington policy intellectuals, is more interested in political effects in Washington than strategic victories in the Middle East. Seen in this light, the only American victory in the region is a pyrrhic one, the bitter harvest of which we may well be reaping for many years to come.

I can’t say I agree with Smith’s arguments in toto, but he’s on the mark in asserting that the Washington establishment has walked away from the true meaning of victory, accepting “moral victory” as a pale substitute.

HEALTH CARE CONTROL COMING TO AN EMPLOYER NEAR YOU. It’s benefits open season at my wife’s place of employment. In filling out the renewal forms for our medical “insurance” coverage, I found this little nugget:

Due to recent legislation, medical plans must submit SSNs of individuals age 45 (!) or older to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The purpose of the new reporting requirements is to enable CMS to correctly pay for the services provided to Medicare beneficiaries who also receive employer-sponsored health care benefits.

Hmm ... 45 or older? Doesn’t Medicare coverage begin at age 65? and only then if you apply?

Add electronic health records to the mix and you can get a foretaste of things to come.

AUGUSTINE’S LAW’S (# XXIV): “The only thing more costly than stretching the schedule of an established project is accelerating it, which is itself the most costly action known to man”.

Here’s the proof.

OBAMA TO BP: Pay up or else.

Not being a community organizer and all, it seems to me that the first step should be to stop the leak.

THE REAL REASON for Arizona's tough immigration law.