Surfing

Larry Kudlow is concerned that the dollar seems limp. Flaccid, even. He thinks Europe is laughing at its weakness.

Folks are making fun of the dollar. Our enemies around the world are pointing to the unreliable dollar as evidence of American weakness. Weakness as a financial power. Weakness as a national-security power. Does an unreliable currency symbolize an unreliable nation?

Kudlow thinks it's time to elect McCain, because the former soldier will make the dollar "surge" and stand erect.

Strengthening the dollar isn’t only good financial policy, it’s an act of patriotism. A patriotic dollar will show our jihadist enemies and the rest of the world that there will be no declinist America.

Indeed, the dollar is still the world’s reserve currency, with the vast majority of financial transactions running through the dollar. By reminding voters of this fact -- by placing the U.S. dollar front-and-center in his campaign and emphasizing that there will be no falloff in dollar responsibility if he’s elected -- McCain can more than bolster his agent-of-change credentials and his standing as an economic reformer.

The time has come to end the dollar’s freefall. The time has come to end the international ridicule of the greenback. Making the dollar strong will America strong.

Could he possibly make it any clearer that this occupation is a matter of pride for so many conservatives, a personal ego boost? As if knowing our soldiers are holding a gun on the rest of the world is the most wonderfully warm feeling they've had since childhood.



Haaretz reports on Cheney's recent trip, and the article has a great deal more infomation than other articles on the same trip.

"America's commitment to Israel's security is enduring and unshakable, as is Israel's right to protect itself always against terrorism, rocket attacks and other attacks from forces dedicated to Israel's destruction," Cheney said ahead of a meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert....The vice president also said on Saturday that, "we must not and will not ignore darkening shadows of the situation in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Syria and Iran, and the threats these areas pose to Israel....."

In welcoming Cheney, [Ehud] Olmert mentioned Iran first when outlining the subjects he planned to discuss with the vice president. Israel considers Iran to be the greatest threat to its survival, and rejects Tehran's claims that its nuclear program is not designed to produce arms.

Cheney wants a permanent foothold in the Middle East. He obviously does not consider ethics or morality in his decision-making process. He has no regard for the value of human life. And there is no one to stop him from achieving his goal.