Their only concern is making money and more money, and as long as the CCP continues on a track that seems to be meeting this concern all will be well, harmony will be ensured and stability will prevail. They are actually glad the media is controlled with an iron fist, as a free media would be an invitation to chaos. Or so say several of my esteemed commenters, and plenty of other people I’ve encountered over the past five years.

There are, however, some notable exceptions. Like Mao Zedong’s former secretary and former head of Xinhua, who says, “the absence of freedom of speech is a long-term shackle that has never been tackled in China.” (Requires registration and $$, so I’m pasting the whole thing.)It’s one of those where you’ll want to read the whole thing.

Update: Joseph Kahn has a good article about this too (thanks to the commenter who pointed it out).

Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Veteran cadres in support of closed weekly

A joint declaration signed by 13 senior intellectuals and retired officials criticising the closure of the supplement last month appeared on overseas Chinese-language websites. The declaration has fuelled speculation at home and abroad that Bingdian’s prospects are looking up.

A close source to the publication said earlier this week that the push for a resumption of publication was “progressing positively”. However, others have cautioned that its future is still surrounded by “too much uncertainty”.

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What We Need in Iraq: An Exit Date
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: February 14, 2006

Here’s the single most depressing tidbit I’ve seen from Iraq lately: a new poll has found that among Sunni Arab Iraqis, 88 percent support violent attacks on U.S. troops.

So at least in the Sunni Triangle, the biggest problem isn’t Syria or terrorists like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, but ordinary Sunnis who want to see our soldiers blown up.

So how should we handle this?

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I’m gone for a day or two as I head back to Asia.

I’m back. Please chat while I recover from the jet lag.

He is in surgery now, and my thoughts are with him. Joseph has been one of my dearest friends and mentors for more than two years now.

More or less. This is a real bombshell, and further underscores just how wrong Bush was in his dreams of Iraq becoming a beacon of Western-style democracy that would become a model for the Middle East.

Shiite lawmakers decided by a one-vote margin today to retain Ibrahim al-Jaafari as prime minister in Iraq’s next government, after a bitter internal struggle that exposed the growing power of anti-American fundamentalists within the new Iraqi parliament.

As the largest single bloc within the new 275-member parliament, the Shiites have the right to choose a prime minister under Iraq’s constitution and will now begin negotiating in earnest with the leaders of other political groups to fill out Iraq’s first full-term, four-year government.

Mr. Jaafari, a moderate Islamist, has been widely criticized as a weak leader over the past year and was considered a long shot to continue in his post. But he defeated his main rival 64 to 63 in a secret ballot this morning after gaining support from followers of Moktada al-Sadr, the renegade Shiite cleric who is outspoken in his hostility to the United States.

Mr. Sadr’s followers now control the largest bloc of seats — 32 out of 130 — within the Shiite alliance. They decided to vote for Mr. Jaafari after he promised to help implement their political program, said Bahaa al-Aaraji, a sitting member of parliament and a spokesman for the Sadr movement….

A number of Iraqi leaders outside the Shiite alliance expressed surprise and concern about the selection of Mr. Jaafari and the apparent influence exercised by Mr. Sadr’s followers.

Well, I guess that ends that conversation: Iraq is firmly positioned to become an Islamic theocracy, and one managed by a violent anti-American extremist. It doesn’t matter that it was a one-vote margin; the winner takes it all. Anyone remember Najaf and the many lives lost, American and Iraqis? And the man who choreographed the whole thing is now pulling the strings for the nation.

In earlier posts on this topic, some commenters insisted that al-Sistani would hold al-Sadr in check, that the cherubic young cleric would have no significant influence once the government was up and running. Are you still saying that?

For those of you ranting against Moslems in the wake of the cartoon crisis, how do you feel now, knowing that we lost all those thousands of lives in Iraq to put in power a man who sees us as infidels and hostile occupiers, the man who inspired his followers to rise up to fight us, to kill us? And how will those good Americans who sacrificed so much feel when they realize this is what they gave up their limbs and their lives for? (And that last link is a must-read, especially in light of this development.)

Oh, and did I mention Jaafari is notoriously pro-Iranian?

This is a guest post from Jerome Keating. It reminded me of a recent conversation with one of my colleagues, the only person I’ve met here who is strongly in favor of unification with the Mainland. His reasoning is that Taiwan will enjoy an economic renaissance, becoming flush with cash and abundant jobs for all. Reading Jerome’s article below underscores the folly of my colleague’s argument.

Who Will Pay the Bill? Taiwan Pan-Blue Naiveté or Deception?
Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

Credit cards are relatively new in Taiwan, thus for many, particularly the naive and inexperienced, the ability to buy now and pay later is an attractive temptation. The slow but steady accumulation of debt goes unnoticed amidst the immediate gratification of being able to enjoy consumable items. Eventually of course reality sets in and the piper must be paid. Even then for some, they harbor the dream that the bill will somehow be overlooked, forgiven, passed on or even disappear.

That same naiveté or expectation that the bill can always be passed on is evident in discussions on cross-strait relations. In talking with a friend recently, he made the comment, “Don’t you think Taiwan would be stronger if we decided to join China? Think of all the jobs in Shanghai.” My friend was of course conscious of the fact that over 700 missiles are pointed at Taiwan and it is much better to be on the pointing side of all those missiles than on the receiving side as well as the fact that many Taiwan professionals are finding lucrative work in Shanghai.

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Brooks actually makes sense today. Or some sense, at least.

Bring Back the Gang of 14
By DAVID BROOKS
Published: February 12, 2006

It was a golden moment for the fulminators.

John McCain, Joe Lieberman, Mike DeWine and 11 other senators had just forged a bipartisan deal to head off a nuclear showdown over judicial filibusters. The howls, especially on the conservative side, were deafening.

“This Senate agreement represents a complete bailout and betrayal by a cabal of Republicans,” James Dobson roared.

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Good reading, with good insights into the dangers of seeing issues in black and white. Khruschev’s speech, the writer claims, helped lead to the collapse of the USSR and was a turning point in world history.

This is my house in Arizona – right in the center, with the oval-shaped swimming pool. (Click to enlarge the image.) Isn’t it scary, how there are no secrets any more? How nothing needs to be left to the imagination? How just a little bit of googling can practically put you in a stranger’s living room?

By the way, the house is really beautiful, though you’d never know it from this picture.

If you’re thinking of making the trip out here, you’ll want to take a look at today’s NY Times article on what tourists here should eat, see and do.