The First Watcher's Council Nominations of 2008 Are Up

The nominations are up at the Watcher's Council. Do enjoy them. And if you would like to submit a post for consideration by the Council, please visit the Watcher and take advantage of his offer of link whorage. The Council Nominations for the week are:

1. Done With Mirrors - Witness
This is a very good post that philosophically considers how our foreign policy has changed under Bush for the better, but bemoaning the poor execution of that policy.

2. The Colossus of Rhodey - Ron Paul Tripped Up On "Meet the Press" Despite Making Good Points Ron Paul is the Republican's version of Dennis Kucinich. He occupies a lonely spot on the far fringe of political thought. Thought unlike Kucinich, Ron Paul has received an inordinate amount of press and blog space. CoR does a good job of deconstructing the questionable and, at times, quite hypocritical positions espoused by Paul during an interview with Tim Russert.

3. The Glittering Eye - Primary Scenarios
GE handicaps the upcoming primaries, seeing as the most likely scenario Clinton and Romney victories ending in a Clinton presidency.

4. Big Lizards - The Best Years of Their Lives: Hollywood and Franklin's War
This is a very good post that examines the role of Hollywood in driving patriotic fever in WWII, and the lack of the same in today's GWOT. He finds Hollywood's role far more determinative than respective presidential leadership skills. He makes an interesting link between the left of WWII who supported socialism and Stalin and how that pushed a great deal of the patriotic flicks of WWII.

5. Wolf Howling - The State Department's Unilateral Foreign Policy
This is my rant on what I see as a State Dept. out of control. I percieve Bush as having several failings, with his most serious being his inability to communicate and his refusal to reign in both the State Department and intelligence agencies. Over the past eight years, we have been treated to one leak after another, with only a single CIA employee ever held liable. And now we have the State Dept. literally ripping Iran policy out of the grasp of the executive by publicizing an incredible bit of obfusaction about Iran's policies and intent, both in the NIE and now on Iran's actions in Iraq.

6. Cheat Seeking Missiles - Did Bush Get Jamie Lynn Pregnant?
CSM delves into the morass over sex education and abstinence education being provided to our teens. He notes a biased USA Today article that uses statistical manipulation to claim that abstinence education does not work.

7. Soccer Dad - The Freddys Seven
SD takes a look at the race hustler, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and recounts why this man should have no place in politics today. I couldn't agree more with the logic or the conclusion.

8. Bookworm Room - America Derangement Syndrome -- Or, Yes, You Can Call Them Unpatriotic This is a thoughtful book review of Uncouth Nation : Why Europe Dislikes America, written by one of the rarities in today's world, a progressive / liberal who still maintains a degree of intellectual honesty. The review, which I have previously linked to on this blog, observes that there is a the litmus test for today's left across the globe - an unthinking acceptance of anti-Americanism and anti-Zionism. The review examines the roots of this "ADS," finding it exacerbated by but not caused by Bush. Wow, there really is a vast "left wing conspiracy."

9. The Education Wonks - Our Wish List For 2008
This one is self explanatory. I agree with them all - and I particularly like the wish about the Bush twins. Both of my children are in the military. While we have civilian control of the military and all that implies, it makes a bit of a mockery of it all when the families of our political elite do not make some effort to support the war effort.

10. Rhymes With Right - An Open Letter To Rep. John Davis
There are some problems in House District 129. I know nothing about John Davis, but I greatly appreciate the sentiment expressed in this letter. I wonder how the Republican Party will react to this. Unfortunately, I see a Republican Party today that has largely lost its principles.

11. Right Wing Nut House - Politics Anonymous
Combine a conservative political junkie with a slew of less than worthy republican candidates and what you have is Rick Moran, bemoaning his fate and planning a 12 step program that we all know has no chance of curing him. But it does make for an interesting read.

12. Joshuapundit - Al-Qaeda's Strategy Revealed In New Bin-Laden Tape
This is JP's analysis of the latest bin Laden tape. JP sees bin Laden as focusing on reversing the gains in Iraq, as well as threatening both Israel and Pakistan.

This weeks non-council links are:

1. Newsweek - In the Name of the Father...

2. The National Interest - Foreign Policy Goes Glam

3. The Debatable Land - The Wodehouse Primary

4. Patterico's Pontifications - Patterico's Los Angeles Dog Trainer Year in Review 2007

5. Don Surber - Loser of the Year: Pelosi

6. Power Line - Ms. Hillary Does Pakistan

7. Treppenwitz - Exploding Myths

8. Power Line (2) - Obsession to the Point of Dementia

9. Captain's Quarters - Getting Pakistan Wrong, Democrat-Style

10. Firedoglake - Bennie Bhutto

11. American Thinker - 2007: A Global Assessment of the Confrontation

12. The QandO Blog - Assessing Fred Thompson -- My Somewhat Contrarian Position

13. Webloggin - Dallas Morning News Names "The Illegal Immigrant" as their 2007 Texan of the Year

14. Dodgeblogium - Thoughts on 2007