ONE WORD: Yeearrgh!

JAMES LILEKS wonders why the current war hasn’t produced any war movies:

There’s been enough time – “Wake Island” came out in 1942. “Bataan” came out in 1943. “Casablanca” came out in 1942, for heaven’s sake.

Read the whole thing to find out his thoughts on why.

RAND SIMBERG SUGGESTS that the good reviews for Bush’s press conference / speech stemmed from “the soft bigotry of low expectations.” There’s probably something to that.

But he was also helped by the obtuseness of the press, which was too busy grandstanding and trying to score political points to ask actual tough questions. Against that background, Bush can’t help but look good.

A few tough questions that the press could have asked:

What are you going to do about Iran’s role as a source of destabilization in the area? And its rather obvious efforts to acquire nuclear weapons? And its sponsorship of anti-American terrorism?

A year after the invasion, the Marines are seeking donations from blog readers to set up TV stations in Iraq so as to counter anti-American propaganda from Al Jazeera and other hostile media. Why wasn’t this a priority from day one? Why isn’t it one now?

Why didn’t you fire George Tenet after 9/11?

When Iraqi blogs were reporting problems with Sadr months ago, why didn’t the U.S. government take action sooner?

Of course, it’s doubtful that many of the correspondents were familiar with these issues. Which is why it was easy for Bush to look good. I would have liked to hear the answers, though.

UPDATE: Jeff Jarvis has the right idea — invite bloggers to press conferences. They know this stuff! Plus, there’s an additional advantage, noted by Mickey Kaus in his review of David Sanger’s unfortunate post-speech analysis:

That’s the thing about news analysis from mainstream print journalists. They have to rush to publish in time to meet their deadline. All that emphasis on speed! Unlike the leisurely world of blogging, where we have time to weigh and reconsider and savor the nuances.

What he said.

HERE’S WHAT IRAN GOT for its $80 Million:

The fiery radical at the heart of Iraq’s Shia revolt sued for peace yesterday, buckling under the twin pressures of a massive build-up of American forces near his base and demands for moderation from the country’s ayatollahs.

Not quite Vietnam, Senator Kennedy. The second of those pressures is probably the most significant positive sign.

UPDATE: The Japanese government stood firm, and the Japanese hostages have been released.

A SEA CHANGE IN THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION’S ISRAEL POLICY?

I wonder if it has anything to do with this report? Full story here:

RAMALLAH, Fla., April 13 (UPI) — Yasser Arafat reportedly approved, in concept, an attack on a U.S. convoy in the Gaza Strip last year that took the lives of three Americans. . . .

The sources told MENL Arafat had approved a plan to hit U.S. interests in Palestinian areas. They said Arafat did not draft or approve any details for an attack, but agreed to a proposal to “pass a message” to the United States.

Looks like the message was received.

UPDATE: Thoughts on Arafat’s future, here.

ANOTHER UPDATE: David Adesnik notes that the Times and Post are screwing up on several levels in covering developments in Israel.

EVERYONE COMES TO KNOXVILLE EVENTUALLY — Had a very nice dinner with Evan Coyne Maloney, who’s passing through town. It’s always cool to meet bloggers. Er, and vloggers.

ERIC MULLER looks at the 9/11 Commission’s conflict-of-interest rules and concludes:

Under these guidelines, it certainly seems to me that Ms. Gorelick should not be participating in the portion of the Commission’s investigation that focuses on law enforcement’s role in counterterrorism. I think it would have been wise for her not to be present at the hearing yesterday.

He’s got some nice things to say about her, though.

THE BOSTON GLOBE REPORTS: “Kerry faces questions over Purple Heart.”

HERE’S A REPORT of riots in Tehran.

THE SOUTH DAKOTA POLITICS BLOG reports that some reporters are awfully chummy with Tom Daschle.

AIR AMERICA ISN’T EXACTLY BURNING UP THE AIRWAVES:

After just two weeks of broadcasting, Air America Radio, the fledgling liberal talk-radio network featuring Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo, was pulled off the air this morning in Chicago and Los Angeles, the network’s second- and third-largest markets, in a dispute over payments for airtime.

Arthur Liu, owner of Multicultural Radio Broadcasting, which owns Air America affiliates WNTD-950 AM in Chicago and KBLA-1580 AM in Los Angeles, said Air America bounced a check and owes him more than $1 million.

But it’s a victory for broadcasting diversity!

A Chicago source familiar with the situation said a Multicultural representative showed up at WNTD’s offices this morning, kicked out Air America’s lone staffer overseeing the network’s feed to the station from New York, switched over to a Spanish-language feed, and changed the locks on the doors.

Liu said the same thing happened at KBLA in Los Angeles.

Here’s Air America’s statement. Adios, muchachos! Viva Multiculturalism!

UPDATE: Ryan Boots has thoughts.

AUSTIN BAY writes that putting Saddam on trial sooner, rather than later, would help matters in Iraq.

AID AND COMFORT: John Cole exposes a nasty anti-American hoax.

We’ll be seeing more of this sort of thing, I imagine.

UPDATE: Hmm. Interesting debate going on in the comments to this post. There’s clearly a hoax here, but the nature is, well, debatable.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Okay, now I’m really suspicious.

INTERESTING, IF DEPRESSING, observations on Korea.

MORE GORELICK DEVELOPMENTS:

WASHINGTON (AP) – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner called on Jamie Gorelick to resign from the Sept. 11 commission Wednesday, citing a memo she wrote as a deputy attorney general on separating counterintelligence from criminal investigations.

“Scrutiny of this policy lies at the heart of the commission’s work,” said Sensenbrenner, R-Wis. “Ms. Gorelick has an inherent conflict of interest as the author of this memo and as a government official at the center of the events in questions.”

Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Reader Alec McAusland emails: “What I want to know: Will the press call upon Jamie Gorelick to apologize? Will she take responsibility? Will the 9/11 families call for her resignation?”

ANOTHER UPDATE: The story seems to be getting traction.

MORE ON THE OIL-FOR-FOOD SCANDAL: I stress that the Reynolds guy in this story is no relation.

UPDATE: In a related development, Tim Blair observes: “Way to help, Kofi. Hey, how’s that deal going in Rwanda? Issued any more statements lately?”

ANOTHER UPDATE: Roger Simon: “This scandal is getting so pervasive I’m beginning to feel left out. How come I wasn’t bribed?” He’s also taking nominations for a better scandal name than “oil-for-food.”

AMONG THE FAILURES OF 9/11, it’s interesting that the Commission missed this success:

After all the hearings that the commission has had on the failures of our government to prevent 9/11, or even to respond effectively while it was happening, shouldn’t there be at least one hearing to discuss what went right on that day? Where is the session devoted to studying the actions of the passengers of Flight 93, and their success at foiling the terrorists they confronted? Is there nothing at all to be learned from their actions, and their sacrifice — or is the comission just more interested in finding fault than in actually recognizing success?

Or is it a more basic blindness — is the 9/11 commission, and our government in general, incapable of recognizing a defense against terrorism that merely consists of individual Americans willing to fight when it becomes necessary? That a defense that doesn’t require a huge appropriation bill and a massive administrative army simply doesn’t fit with the Washington mindset?

All of the above. More on these issues here and here.

HEY, I WONDER IF THESE FOLKS WILL BE ON HARDBALL?

April 14, 2004 — A group of 9/11 families has released an open letter thanking National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice for her testimony to the commission probing the attacks and saying it should end “the incredible notion” that President Bush knew 9/11 was coming and did nothing.

The letter signed by 40 relatives also blasts some members of the 9/11 commission for trying to “grandstand for political gain” in hopes of embarrassing Bush and thus politicizing the inquiry.

“I see the commission going partisan and that’s not the way it’s supposed to be. If it does that, it will be nothing but a political disgrace,” said former United Firefighters Association chief Jimmy Boyle, who lost his firefighter son Michael on 9/11. “It’s a whole new world as of Sept. 12 and I believe President Bush is the right man.”

Maybe Katie Couric will interview them, too.

THE SINGER AND THE SONG: Eric Olsen has some thoughts on Bush’s press conference.