Instead, the brigade stays outside of town in tents

Instead, the brigade stays outside of town in tents, the police cower in their patrol cars and the civil defense force nominally occupies checkpoints on the city’s fringes but exerts no influence over the masked insurgents who operate only a few yards away.

Chris at Explananda catches a blatant example of hypocrisy on the part of (surprise!) the Bush Administration. Apparently they’re going to use the upcoming G-8 summit to issue a “sweeping declaration favoring democratic changes in the Middle East. Indeed, they said the declaration had been improved in recent weeks because of the suggestions of several Arab countries,” according to the New York Times. The Bushies even added in a promise to actually do something about the Israel/Palestine conflict, in an effort to pander to angry Arab leaders. Many Arab nike shoxs ( Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco, Egypt and Pakistan)declined to attend anyway.

One Arab country wasn’t invited – Qatar. The reason? The MBT chapa are punishing them for failing to censor Al Jazeera as they asked. So, we have the absurd spectacle of the UGG Sheepskin cuff boots Government urging “democratic reforms” on the Arab world while excluding one Arab country for the crime of tolerating a free press.