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Blog of Adam Daifallah -- author, journalist, law student. Lover of politics, writing, golf, curling, fitness, fashion, bacon and maple products -- not necessarily (but probably) in that order. Partisan of the Anglosphere. Contact me via email at adam@daifallah.com. This summer I am joined by Keir Wilmut and Omar Soliman.
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
A tale of two performances
Waching the Republican National Convention tonight, two things struck me:
Arnold Schwarzenegger was totally amazing, and the Bush twins were a disaster!
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 10:35 PM
Monday, August 30, 2004
See "Control Room"
I just saw the documentary Control Room, an insider look at the Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera and its coverage of the Iraq war. Very interesting film. Unquestionably biased in favour of Al-Jazeera, but illuminating in that you come away understanding why they are the way they are. The doc also quotes frequently a man named Hassan Ibrahim, who works for the Al-Jazeera but doesn't it fit into the typical Arabist stereotypes.
I disagreed with much of the way the U.S. and the war were portrayed, as well as the rosy depiction of Al-Jazeera, but I still recommend this to anyone interested in the way the news business works.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 12:43 AM
Sunday, August 29, 2004
Quebec provincial politics...
...is mighty interesting, I must say! There is essentially, in case you haven't been paying attention, haven't noticed, or don't care, a civil war going on inside the Parti Quebecois.
The battle pits hardline separatists such as former Premier and Party leader Jacques Parizeau against Bernard Landry, the current leader, and the softer sovereignists. At a party meeting this weekend, challenges to the leadership held by Landry were made by Pauline Marois, a longtime party stalwart, MNA and former challenger for the leadership, and Francois Legault. But obviously the party is behind Landry four-square: he won a confidence vote by a vote of 455-8.
It will be very interesting to see where the party goes from here. With this vote of confidence in Landry, its tough to see where Parizeau and other malcontents can muster the moral fortitude to continue creating public mischief. Seems to me the party wants to continue on with Landry.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 8:59 PM
Friday, August 27, 2004
Will Republican wounds open in public?
I have become increasingly concerned over internal divisions in the Republican Party of late, and articles like this confirm my fears.
It will be interesting to see if any of the infighting over issues like Iraq and other foreign policy boil over at their convention in New York City next week. I doubt it -- the event will be so heavily scripted -- but in the backrooms and hospitality suites there's sure to be some grumbling.
Since the situation in post-war Iraq went bad, Republicans have been soul-searching, and I would wager that many now regret the war, although they will not admit it publicly. If things don't get better soon, more high profile conservatives will probably -- regrettably -- start lambasting the "neocons" loudly, just like my friend Tim Carney did in this article.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 5:34 PM
Thursday, August 26, 2004
For probably the first time in my life...
...I have absolutely nothing to say!
That's right. Nothing. I am totally uninspired by anything happening in the news right now.
So, why don't you go here and read about my friend Trevor's trip to Australia.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 9:53 PM
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Liberate CTV Newsnet
CTV Newsnet has applied to the CRTC for more freedom in the way it broadcasts the news. This will be another test of the CRTC's mettle after its disastrous performance on the CHOI-FM file.
Newsnet is currently operating with its hands tied behind its back -- they have to cut out of any programming it has for headline news updates every 15 minutes. (Anyone who watched Mike Duffy's excellent program "COUNTDOWN" during the election campaign will remember how annoying this is.) CBC Newsworld, CNBC or CNN are not subject to these same draconian restrictions.
I love the pot shot at Newsworld's irrelevant non-newsy shows in the press release:
"The success of COUNTDOWN: With Mike Duffy proves that there is an audience for intelligent, fast-paced newsprogramming," said [CTV News President Robert] Hurst. "And that's the audience we want to serve. COUNTDOWN: With Mike Duffy, with its panel discussions and audience interaction, is a template for the kind of headline programming we want to seemore of on CTV Newsnet. We're not talking Antiques Road Show or Fashion File here -- we're talking about hard news and current events in shows that havepersonality and point-of-view."
Let the CRTC know you support CTV's request -- info@crtc.gc.ca.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 6:06 PM
Police shoot a hostage-taker
How long will it be before howls of protest erupt over this?
I can just hear Clayton Ruby's clerks typing away preparing the lawsuit now.
Police brutality! Police brutality!
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 1:34 PM
Monday, August 23, 2004
Alive and well in Montreal
Sorry for the lack of posting, but the move has been pretty busy. You've all been there and know what I mean. Always takes twice as long as expected. Anyway, I'm here.
Not much to say as I haven't seen much news, but Bobby Hull was on the same train as me from Toronto. Thought that was kinda neat.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 7:49 PM
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Moving to Montreal Monday (how 'bout that alliteration?)
A little announcement: I'll be on leave from the National Post starting Monday for a year-long fellowship at McGill University. I've been selected to be part of a program called Sauvé Scholars, which brings together 12 young journalists from around the world for a year of study, writing, reflection, travelling, etc...
Blog posting should continue at its normal pace -- perhaps even more frequently, because I'll have more time. I plan on working on a few special projects while I'm in Montreal, which I'll keep y'all posted on, including some interesting political journalism work.
I'm starting to get ready to move now. Have a great day.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 7:16 AM
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
WWE not what it used to be
In the last three days, I have gone to see WWE (formerly WWF) wrestling events twice. On Sunday night, I attended Summerslam at the ACC in Toronto; last night I went to Smackdown at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton. I know you're all shocked to find out I like wrestling, but yes, I do (and both times the tickets were free, I probably would not have paid to go.)
It was the first time I have ever seen WWE live in person. While enjoyable and entertaining, it has definitely gone downhill over the past few years with the departures of big names like Hulk Hogan, Brett Hart, Sean Michaels, and others. The big personalities just don't seem to be around anymore. Gone are the Ultimate Warriors, the Ravishing Rick Rude's, the Honky Tonk Mans, and in their place we have such lacklustre personalities as Scotty 2 Hotty and Randy Orton. Just doesn't compare.
Nevertheless, I had a lot of fun. I took some pics and may post them later.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 10:51 AM
Sunday, August 15, 2004
More silly Saudi spin
In a somewhat unusual move, Qorvis Communications, er, I mean the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, DC, has issued a press release demanding a public apology for allegations made in an oped.
The column in question was written by Daniel Pipes and appeared in last Tuesday's New York Sun. Says Qorvis, um, the Saudis:
On August 10, 2004, The New York Sun published an article by Daniel Pipes entitled 'The Saudis' Covert P.R. Campaign.' The article speculates that Saudi Arabia pays five Middle East experts to speak on its behalf as part of a program to educate Americans about U.S./Saudi relations. This is absolutely not true.
We hope that The New York Sun prints an immediate apology to former Ambassadors Walter Cutler and Richard Murphy, and to Sandra Mackey, Mary Morris and Samer Shehata, people who are devoted to building a greater understanding among the international community.
Neither the government of Saudi Arabia nor any public relations firm compensates these individuals for their activities. These esteemed experts on Middle East issues speak their own minds and on their own behalf.
That is total bunk and the Saudis know it. The fact is that Pipes is right. Check out this response, which includes an email from a Saudi PR flack clearly offering these individuals as people who can speak in support of the Kingdom. The Saudis may not admit that they are paying these guys directly for their work, but they are being paid in other ways.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 1:39 AM
Friday, August 13, 2004
Book review: The Republican Noise Machine
Thursday, August 12, 2004
Wait, the CBC is Liberal? or Pity Susan Murray
Oh dear. She's quit her job at CBC Radio to become a press flack for Scott Brison. Oh dear.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 9:16 AM
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Those incriminating Oil-for-Food documents
Claudia Rosett, the indefatigable Wall Street Journal columnist whose work on the Oil-for-Food program merits a Pulitzer and more, has another important column today on her favourite topic. Rosett touches on some intelligence files pertaining to Oil-for-Food "allegedly held" by Ahmad Chalabi:
And then, of course, there's the hoard of documents allegedly held by Ahmad Chalabi, head of the Iraqi National Congress. Mr. Chalabi was one of the first to call for serious investigation of Oil-for-Food, based on what he has described as "damning documents" found in government offices in Baghdad, implicating senior officials of both the U.N. and various unnamed nations. Mr. Chalabi, according to his Washington-based adviser, Francis Brooke, recovered enough of Saddam's paperwork last year to fill three basketball courts chest-high. Of this hoard, says Mr. Brooke, some 20,000 pages relate directly to Oil-for-Food, most of them from the files of the Finance Ministry--which was just one of the many Iraqi ministries involved in this program.
When I was in Baghdad last May, I saw these alleged documents. They were part of a huge stash of files recovered by the INC from the Mukhabarat (Iraqi intelligence service) headquarters in the days after the war's end. I cannot say for sure that what I saw were the supposedly incriminating Oil-for-Food documents, but I saw a ton of intelligence documents. So when the INC says they recovered "enough of Saddam's paperwork last year to fill three basketball courts chest-high," believe me, they are not fibbing. Rosett is right to say that Chalabi should just release the documents.
Anyway, I took these pictures of what I saw:
Keep in mind that these were just two sections of a huge warehouse!
The greater question, which Rosett doesn't explicity note in her piece, is this: Is Chalabi's possession of incriminating Oil-for-Food documents part of the reason for the obvious vendetta against him?
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 6:54 PM
Death in Tehran
Like many Canadians, I've been disappointed at the way the federal government has dealt with Iran regarding the Zahra Kazemi case. Despite the pleadings of Kazemi's son, Stephan Hachemi, it appears the feds are content do nothing and to hope this story will just fade from memory. Let's try to keep this issue in the public discourse so that they can't forget about it.
I have an article in The New York Sun today about the affair. It is tailored to an American audience, so it includes a summary of the saga in case some readers aren't familiar with what happened.
I conclude by saying:
Sooner or later, America will have to confront the Iranian menace. No other countries appear prepared to do so.
President Bush has named the Islamic Republic as part of the axis of evil, but has so far flinched from publicly providing material support aimed at ousting the regime in Tehran. Senator Kerry has called for a less confrontational approach.
Whoever leads America in the next four years of the war on terrorism will have to deal with the fact that in Tehran sits a regime fully capable of murdering a foreign journalist without showing the slightest hint of remorse, covering it up, and moving on as if it were business as usual.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 7:48 AM
Speaking of the Chalabis
The Wall Street Journal editorial board has done a much better job than I did below summing up what needs to be said on this file. I 100% agree with everything said in this editorial.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 7:41 AM
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Michael Moore sucks, and so does this book
I had a book review published last weekend in the Montreal Gazette of Michael Moore Is a Big Fat Stupid White Man. I dislike Michael Moore vehemently, but I still couldn't comment favourably on this book. To learn why go here.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 7:36 PM
Chalabi issues
A few friends have asked what I make of the latest controversy involving Ahmad Chalabi, the Iraqi political figure. Chalabi has been charged with counterfeiting Iraqi dinars. His nephew, Salem, the man in charge of the tribunal trying Saddam Hussein, has also been charged (perhaps somewhat ironically) with being an accomplice to murder.
I am not following the daily minutiae of the Iraq situation as closely as I used to, and I do not do any reporting of my own anymore. So I cannot say anything with real authority on this. All I know is what I read by other reporters.
What I do know from my past experiences is that there has been a concerted and obviously quite successful effort to discredit Ahmad Chalabi for many years now. This effort has been spearheaded by the CIA and the State Department, aided and abetted by many others. They may have played a role in this latest incident, they may not have. But the judge who charged Ahmad Chalabi is the same man who ordered that his house be raided a few weeks ago, for God knows what reason. This is a man with no legal training whatsoever.
Salem Chalabi is a very fine man with an Ivy League education. He is accomplished in both law and business. He does not strike me as someone who would commit murder. You can never say never because there's always a chance that someone you know and think of as being a good and moral person is actually a very different person than you thought. But I really doubt that this man is a criminal. I really, really doubt it.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 12:02 PM
Saturday, August 07, 2004
God bless C-Span
You can find the entire funeral in Real Player format by doing a search on C-Span. (Thanks to reader Charlie for the tip.)
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 4:49 PM
Help requested
Does anyone know where one can obtain a DVD/video/whatever of the Reagan funeral? I would like to get one. Or failing that, perhaps the eulogies are available online? I've looked, and the only one I can find is Thatcher's, which you can see free here.
UPDATE: Just to clarify, I am looking for actual video feeds of the eulogies, not just the texts of the speeches.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 1:32 AM
Friday, August 06, 2004
Paul Wells is so right....
...about this.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 9:02 AM
Thursday, August 05, 2004
One of the reasons I am conservative and that I love conservatives...
...is people like Peggy Noonan. Big announcement in her OpinionJournal.com column today: she is taking an unpaid leave to help re-elected President Bush.
I am going to take three months' unpaid leave from The Wall Street Journal and attempt to support the Republican Party in the coming and crucial election. (Every four years everyone says "this is the most important election of my lifetime," but this year I believe it is true.) I'm going to give whatever advice and encouragement I have in terms of strategy, approach, message--I hate that word--and issues. No one has asked me to do this, and I do it as a volunteer, not for a salary but simply to give my time to help what I think is the more helpful side. This will take a bite out of my finances but I can do it. Actually most of us, when we die, wind up with a few thousand dollars in the bank. We should have spent it! I am going to spend mine now.
Peggy Noonan has long been a heroine in the battle of ideas. She should be commended heartily for this move. It is so refreshing to see someone really put their money where their mouth is. She's showing she's ready to stand up and be counted when it really matters.
And I totally agree with her assessment: the importantance of this upcoming U.S. election cannot be understated.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 8:41 AM
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Bad ISP
My site was down for most of yesterday. Apologies. Some advice: If you're going to set up a website do not use CPhosting. I repeat, do not use CPhosting. They suck!
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 9:08 AM
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Saudi royals pissed off with Canada?
Hope so.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 1:57 AM
Sunday, August 01, 2004
Don't tell me the mullahs aren't meddling in Iraq
Yet more evidence of it:
Iraqi border officials have admitted that buses full of Iranians routinely enter the country without passports or other official identification, despite Baghdad's attempts to clamp down on terrorist infiltration.
Col Jassem al-Qabi, the regional border guard commander in a remote stretch of southern Iraq, said that scores of Iranians enter every day.
'Sometimes a bus-load of Iranian pilgrims will come to the border, with perhaps 45 people on board, and only one will have a passport,' he said.
If I may be so bold, I would wager to say that Iran is currently the most rogue nation on the planet, with the genocidal Islamists in Khartoum and the Democratic (sic) Republic of North Korea tied for second. Tehran must be dealt with, and soon.
As Michael Ledeen would say, Faster Please!!!
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 11:58 AM
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