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Tuesday, April 11, 2006

The DAYS DAILY 5
1. Rosen: Murray Waas is the Woodward of Now
2. Lieut. General Gregory Newbold: Why Iraq Was a Mistake
3. Chuck Hagel: "We're ruining an Army it took 30 years to build."
4. TP: The Iraq War Architects, Where Are They Now? (certainly not unemployed)
5. Shakes Sis: An extremely frightening video from yesterday’s presidential propaganda parade. This, ladies in gentleman, is the most powerful man in the world. You may commence crying now.

ON THIS DAY
Image hosting by Photobucket How Teddy got his war on.
On April 11, 1898 President William McKinley asked Congress for a declaration of war against Spain, which led to the Spanish-American War, America’s first flirtation with interventionist action. McKinley, unlike some chief executives we know, actually didn’t want to go to war but was pressured into it by a fervent public desire to kick some Spanish ass, instigated primarily by the sensationalist ‘yellow journalism’ of William Randolph Hearst (think Rupert Murdoch without the accent). The McKinley administration also featured its fair share of Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz-like Hawks who added to the war pressure. Among these was Teddy Roosevelt, who, unlike today’s Hawks, was actually willing to back up his tough talk, taking a break from wrestling bears and eating armadillo sandwiches to form his famed Roughriders and lead them into battle. The war ultimately led to American annexation of the Phillipines, Puerto Rico and Guam, and the creation of a somewhat independent Cuba, as well as a steady-flow of talented shortstops and relief pitchers for decades to come. While not officially under American control, Cuba’s actions would be influenced greatly by American business and foreign-policy interests in the following decades. Also, a permanent American naval base was established at Guatanamo Bay. (yep, that Gitmo) Three years later, McKinley was assassinated by Leon Czolgosz at the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo.* (Sarah Vowell provides an excellent and hilariously entertaining account of this period in America's Life in her book Assassination Vacation.)

*please Mr. NSA eavesdropper guy, don’t read too much into the inclusion of this in my post.

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