Watcher's Council Nominations & Transition

Each week, the members of the Watcher's Council nominate one of their own posts and a second from outside the Council for consideration by other council members in a contest for best post. Historically, the Watcher publishes the results each Friday morning.

However, the Watcher has recently decided to withdraw from the council. We salute him for establishing the council and the work he has put in to maintain it. And we wish him the best.

Things are in a bit of transition at the moment as we establish the new ground rules by which the Watcher's Council will carry on. For this week, Joshuapundit is acting as the Watcher. All of that said, this week's nominations are:
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Council Nominations:

1. 1. JoshuaPundit: Will Israel Attack Iran?
Our Watcher this week evaluates the likelihood that Israel will act to defend itself by attacking Iran. I would have to agree that there does seem a high probability of that, with the only real question being whether Iran will be suicidal enough to drag the U.S. into the fight as a part of their response.

2. Soccer Dad:The Army's Top 10 inventions And The Legacy Of Harry Diamond
SD writes on the intersection of technology and the military, starting with Harry Diamonds development of the proximity fuse which is critical to modern military artillery and AF weaponry.

3. The Glittering Eye: Sen. Obama Re-States His Plan for Iraq
Dave Schuler and I read the same editorial but reach different conclusions this week.

4. Cheat Seeking Missiles: Laundry Guilt
A superb post from Laer. Who would have thought that chest upgrades could be a solution to our energy problems. Beyond that, I must agree with him, that our capacity to come up with solutions to meet the energy challenges should leave one cautiously optimistic.

5. BookWorm Room:It's official: Obama doesn't flip-flop, he just does nuanced "rephrases"
As usual, an excellent post from BR. I lover her wordsmithing - "gossamer nuances of Obama-speak." At any rate, BR demonstrates that anyone who believes Obama is a flip flopp'n on Jerusalem simply does not understand the nuances of ancient Orthodox Jewish law as articulated by Obama himself.

6. Rhymes With Right: Ny Times Sides With Border Jumping Immigration Criminals
I missed this one when the NYT published it. The NYT, like the far left as a whole, prioritizes the rights of victim groups over the rights of the nation as a whole. How long til the stock prices on this Marxist rag bottom out?

7. Wolf Howling: Critiquing The Obama Manifesto On Iraq
Our efforts in Iraq are just bearing fruit. Obama's justifications for leaving Iraq are based on his ambition to be President, not the best interests of our nation. He is quite willing to toss our national security under the bus - along with Iraq - in order to achieve his ends.

8. The Razor:What Can We Do To Reduce Oil Consumption?
The Razor pops open his Excel spreadsheet and crunches the numbers to evaluate possibiities for reducing our oil consumption.

9. Done With Mirrors: Poetry Matters
DWM ponders how the line of classical poetry came to an end with WWI and how it has largely died out as our modern education system no longer relies heavilly on the classics.

10. The Colossus Of Rhodey:The Latest - Global Warming Causes Kidney Stones!
Is there any plague that global warming will not cause.

11. Hillbilly White Trash:What To Do About The Dollar
An excellent post from HWT. The only point where I do not agree is with a return to the gold standard. Having said that, I do not disagree. I know that there has been much written on the topic and that it is controversial, but I have not read it for 20 years so must plead ignorance.

12. The Education Wonk: Texas Teacher Shortage?
To pull in the best and brightest takes a decent salary. We do not pay our teachers nearly enough.

Non-Council Nominations

1. Shrinkwrapped:Making People Better
A superb essay from Shrinkwrapped on the dangers of social engineering. And equally as illuminating are some of the coments.

2. Doug Ross & Journal: Let Me Put It In Pictures For Our Progressive Friends
Pictures are worth a thousand words and DR uses them to show Obama's relationship to Rezko and corrupt Illinois politics.

3. Dan Drezner:"We are seriously concerned about this most serious outbreak of seriousness"
Some fine - but unfortunately reality based - snark.

4. Power Line: Obama's Dishonest Op-Ed
PL focuses on Obama's intellectual dishonesty in the same op-ed about which I posted.

5. Power Line:Setting the Record Straight
Douglas Feith addresses the "various misconceptions surrounding the Bush administration's treatment of terrorist detainees."

6. Harris County Criminal Justice System: A Good Man
The adverserial process is not always adversarial.

7. EU Referendum:The Great Bio Fuels Con
Dr. North rips into the bio fuel industry.

8. Israel Matzav: Lebanon plans 'state ceremony' to welcome Kuntar
Carl in Jerusalem is upset that the psychopaths in Lebanon are welcoming home a child murderer with a state ceremony. There is enough slime here to cover several governments.

9. Melanie Phillips: Sleepwalking Into Islamization
I've been saying for some time now that it is a race to see whether the UK's socialist chattering class will destroy the country before the rank and file relcaim it - with or without violence - and send the former packing.

10. 7.62 Justice: Troop Drawdown
Obama's plan to "drawdown" forces from Iraq brings to mind the withdraw of Aussie troops from Gallipoli in WWI. A very good post.

11. Seraphic Secrets: Comrade Obama Purges Website
Obama gets Orwellian . . . or Pravda'ish, if you will.

12. Vox Popoli: Home and Garden hater
Home hunting brings out all of the gender issues.