Katherine Kersten: Stillborn Brainchild of the Conservative Think Tank The Startribune commemorated the anniversary of the Iraq War by questioning local luminaries about their pre-war positions. From her white upper-middle class bastion in Edina, Katherine Kersten--whom the Strib refers to as a "writer/activist" was eager to weigh in... "So many of the alarmist possibilities raised by opponents of the war have not come to pass," she said, including: massive casualties from chemical or biological attacks, hundreds of unquenchable oil well fires set by a departing Saddam, broad loss of international cooperation with the U.S.-led war against terrorism and the overthrow of U.S.-friendly leaders across the Muslim world". Does Katherine live in the same world the rest of us live in? So far, there have been no less than three assassination attempts against Musharraf in Pakistan since the war began. Will this war still be a success if a fundamentalist regime assumes control of the nuclear warheads in Pakistan? Is it safer now that nuclear scientist Ali Khan sold nuclear secrets to the Koreans and Lybians? Iran is continuing with its nuclear program,and the North Koreans continue unabated. They realize that well-armed, strong nations have nothing to fear from the U.S. Only the vulnerable, like Lybia, have capitulated. We're also footing the bill for the reconstruction of Iraq. Wolfowitz predicted that the war would eventually be self-financed by Iraqi oil wealth, but my "cost of war" ticker indicates that we've spent in excess of 100,000,000 on the war so far with no end in sight. Maybe in Edina they don't notice that resources are being redirected from elsewhere, but most of your neighbors do. Sure, Katherine, soldiers haven't faced massive casualites from WMD's, but instead, they're being plucked off one by one by the IEDs ( Improvised Explosive Devices). What's the difference to a grieving widow? As far as international cooperation, the Spanish people were dead-set against the war, but Aznar lent his support without the public behind him, and look where it got him. The world was against us then, Katherine, and you know it--the only way Bush garnered support for the military action was by twisting the arms of leaders willing to go against the will of the majority. Gee, What A Great War, Katherine, More Good News Every Day. Four American soldiers died in two bomb explosions in Baghdad, the coalition said Sunday, raising to six the number of U.S. forces killed in roadside bombs this weekend. Attribution Golly, I Can Feel The World Becoming Safer As We Speak... The man on the tape says: 'We declare our responsibility for what happened in Madrid exactly two-and-a-half years after the attacks on New York and Washington. This is an answer to the crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. If your injustices do not stop there will be more if god wills it.' Attribution It's no fun writing about the doltish comments of a provincial hack like Kersten. I feel like I'm flogging a scarecrow here, and I haven't even started yet. The Doltish Diva of the Startribune isn't worth the pixels. Henceforth, I shall mention her not...