Dems to Jump Left Again: Reid promises to tie timetable to next military appropriations bill before 4 July break:

Reid spoke Tuesday on the phone with a group of liberal bloggers he acknowledged helped drive the anti-war debate.

“I understand their disappointment,” Reid said. “We raised the bar too high.”

Tough to disappoint to barking base.

Earmark War Looming! Republicans want to hold Democrats to their earlier promises of making earmarked spending more transparent. Democrat chair of the House Appropriations Committee promises to kill all pet projects (Dem and Repub alike) if Republican leaders “demagogue” the issue.

Hmmm. I don’t remember Republicans rushing out to make earmarks more transparent, or any fewer, when they were in charge. Too bad. If they had, maybe they’d still be in charge.

CAIR Membership Down 90% Since 2001:

The number of reported members spiraled down from more than 29,000 in 2000 to fewer than 1,700 in 2006. As a result, the Muslim rights group’s annual income from dues dropped from $732,765 in 2000, when yearly dues cost $25, to $58,750 last year, when the group charged $35

Hopefully the downward spiral will continue.

“Hamastan” — Hamas has taken control of the northern part of the Gaza Strip as Palestine sinks into civil war. Isn’t it a wonder that liberals are quick to blame the “neo-Cons” for pushing Iraq towards civil war, but won’t own up to their own complicity in Palestinian troubles after celebrating terrorist victories in open elections?

“The streets of the Gaza Strip are full of hundreds of gunmen belonging to Fatah and Hamas,” said Ayman Abu Sharkh, a lawyer from Gaza City. “People are afraid to leave their homes, because this is a real war and they are killing each other mercilessly. We never imagined that the day would come when we would see Palestinians slaughtering each other in the streets.”

Hmmm. Doesn’t come as a surprise to me.

Neo-Samurais? If we have neo-Cons, does Japan have neo-Samurais?

An ultranationalist, [Parliamentary candidate Yuko Tojo] seeks to restore Japan’s honor by scrapping its pacifist constitution and enacting a full-fledged military, giving the country the clout she says it deserves. . . .

Her views are part of a resurgent right-wing fringe in Japan that espouses a hard line in territorial disputes with the country’s neighbors and a rose-tinted view of its past militarism.