The New 80/20 Rule?

Two stories bolster my arguments yesterday that (1) the Bush administration should start listening to people and, in the case of torture, denounce its use by ANYONE, and (2) that the invasion was a mistake akin to pouring water on a grease fire, causing it to spread.

First, this week about 170 malnourished Iraqi detainees, some of whom appeared to have been tortured, were found at an Interior Ministry detention center. If the CIA argues it needs to retain the use of torture, others, like the Interior Ministry of Iraq, will ride the coattails of that argument. See the story at http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Iraq-Torture.html (link expires within a few days).

Second, Jordanian investigators report that the Iraqi woman who took part in the Amman hotel terror attacks said Monday that she had volunteered to become a suicide bomber because three of her brothers had been killed during “operations” in Iraq involving U.S. Marines. The cost of fighting the war on terrorism Bush’s way is to increase terrorism. That is ineffective leadership, just as, well, you-know-what is ineffective firefighting. See the story at http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/15/international/middleeast/15jordan.html (link expires within a few days).

To quote recent AP wire reports:

The Central Intelligence Agency recently warned that a new generation of jihadists was being trained in the Iraq war, and that these fighters could soon take their cause to other countries.
The theory of a widening jihad, with Iraq at the center, is bolstered by intelligence reports stating that Mr. Zarqawi, long opposed to the Hashemite monarchy in Jordan, had been funneling people and supplies to Jordan even before Wednesday's attacks.

Did you also notice that today the Senate voted 79 to 19 to demand regular reports from the White House on the course of the conflict and on the progress that Iraqi forces are making in securing their own country. “The bipartisan support for the measure sponsored by Senator John W. Warner, the Virginia Republican who heads the Armed Services Committee, reflected anxiety among Republicans as well as Democrats.” See the story at http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/15/politics/14cnd-congress.html (link expires within a few days).

Funny, this is the same 80:20 ratio as the latest New York Times/CBS News, which shows that 8 in 10 Americans are very or somewhat concerned that the $5 billion being spent each month on the war in Iraq is draining away money that could be used in the United States. See the story at http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/17/politics/17poll.html?ex=1132203600&en=49940844e6309c8e&ei=5070 (link expires within a few days).

Could this be the new 80/20 rule? Hmmm.