Stuff that Caught My Eye Today

Credit where credit is due…the NYT has a good write-up on Firedoglake’s coverage of the Libby trial. My POV and FDL’s couldn’t be further apart—that’s simply not possible—but they’ve done good things in gaining recognition for bloggers. The FDL bloggers have impeccable credentials, which were more than likely responsible for getting them their official “passes” to the trial. Too bad the FDL’ers are just plain wrong.

I’ve spent way too much time today chasing up reaction to yesterday’s UNICEF report, An Overview of Child Well-Being in Rich Countries (a large—52 page—pdf file), which ranks the US next-to-last (just above Britain) where children’s welfare is concerned. From the report’s executive summary:

This Report Card provides a comprehensive assessment of the lives and well-being of children and young people in 21 nations of the industrialized world. Its purpose is to encourage monitoring, to permit comparison, and to stimulate the discussion and development of policies to improve children’s lives.

The report’s “Main Findings”:

• The Netherlands heads the table of overall child wellbeing, ranking in the top 10 for all six dimensions of child well-being covered by this report.
• European countries dominate the top half of the overall league table, with Northern European countries claiming the top four places.
• All countries have weaknesses that need to be addressed and no country features in the top third of the rankings for all six dimensions of child well-being (though the Netherlands and Sweden come close to doing so).
• The United Kingdom and the United States find themselves in the bottom third of the rankings for five of the six dimensions reviewed.
• No single dimension of well-being stands as a reliable proxy for child well-being as a whole and several OECD countries find themselves with widely differing rankings for different dimensions of child well-being.
• There is no obvious relationship between levels of child well-being and GDP per capita. The Czech Republic, for example, achieves a higher overall rank for child well-being than several much wealthier countries including France, Austria, the United States and the United Kingdom.

I spent nearly two hours seeking out conservative reactions to this report and couldn’t find any. One possible explanation is the fact this report originates with the UN and is by definition, suspect and beneath comment. Other than that, I have no clue. There is plenty of reaction on the Left, however, most of it expressed from the usual and predictable America-hating POV. Case in point, if you care: Shakespeare’s Sister.

My reaction? I find the report troubling. There is bound to be an element of truth in anything, if one looks hard enough. Even given the fact this is a UN report (snort!), and the applicable “lies, damned lies, and statistics” disclaimer, I think we should take notice.

On the other hand…if the lesson is “social welfare states are preferable to capitalist states,” as one could reasonably conclude from a quick perusal of the report, then forget it!

Found while looking for reax to the UNICEF story: this post at Cassandra’s place. Totally and completely unrelated, of course. But if it doesn’t make you laugh, then I feel sorry for you. No clues…just check it out.

Update on the whereabouts of Muqtada…

BAGHDAD, Iraq - An adviser to Iraq's prime minister said Thursday that radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is in Iran, but denied he fled due to fear of arrest during an escalating security crackdown. Sami al-Askari said al-Sadr traveled to Iran by land "a few days ago," but gave no further details on how long he would stay. A member of al-Sadr's bloc in parliament, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals, said he left three weeks ago.

"I confirm that Muqtada al-Sadr is in Iran on a visit," said al-Askari. "But I deny that his visit is a flight."

Although there are plenty of disclaimers in the article, as well. Captain Ed says…

Sadr's supporters insist that he is still in Iraq, but no one has seen the non-reclusive Shi'ite firebrand in weeks. If Sadr remains in Najaf, as his mouthpieces claim, all he has to do is show himself. He could call a press conference or hold a rally; the US wouldnt stop him from either activity, and it would prove that he didn't tuck tail and run from the new US/Iraqi security program for Baghdad.

Askari never spoke to why Sadr went to Iran, nor why most of his Mahdi command went with him. Iraq has plenty of space for such meetings, and the southern third of the country is sympathetic to the Shi'ite political cause. What could Sadr and the Mahdis do in Iran that they could not in Najaf or Basra? Perhaps they could not count on unfettered access to Iranian counsel and protection outside of Iran, now that the US has stepped up its action against Iranian agents in Iraq and Maliki withdrew his political protection from Sadr City.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are…” So we can shoot you.

Frequent readers may wonder why I’m silent on the continuing debate in the House of Representatives on the Democrat resolution condemning the President’s strategy in Iraq. My reason? Lots of folks are writing on this subject and I don’t have anything meaningful or unique to add to the conversation. I find the whole exercise to be repugnant beyond belief, especially given the fact the “debate” is contrived. If the Democrats wanted a true debate, they’d be open to considering the various amendments the Republicans have proposed. But that doesn’t mesh with their agenda, which is to discredit the President and curry favor with the current majority of the notoriously fickle American public, as expressed in various opinion polls.

For shame.