What Caught My Eye Today

Pakistan - I'm having a hard time keeping up with all the developments going on over there. Here's my best shot at the latest happenings...

Pakistan quickly ended house arrest for opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on Friday as President Gen. Pervez Musharraf came under new U.S. pressure to end a crackdown that Washington fears is hurting the fight against Islamic extremism. Earlier in the day, police threw up barbed wire around Bhutto's house to keep her from speaking at a rally to protest Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule. As Musharraf's chief international backer, the Bush administration is deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of 160 million people that is on the front lines of the U.S.-led campaign against terrorist groups. The suspension of the constitution last weekend has intensified the anger of moderate and secular Pakistanis who have become increasingly frustrated with military rule. At the same time, Islamic militants with ties to the Taliban and al-Qaida are stepping up violence, including suicide bombings and fighting in the northwest along the border with Afghanistan. Perhaps you are familiar with this old saying..."With friends like this, who needs enemies?" What does it say about the United States, when we have to try to overlook all this nonsense because Pakistan is the best ally we have in that region of the world to assist in curbing terrorism?

Congress - I love the headline on this next story. It reads, "Dems question latest anti-war strategy." Yeah, no kidding. It's not like this is the first time.

Rank-and-file Democrats expressed dismay over their party's latest anti-war strategy, with some members reluctant to vote around Veterans Day to bring troops home. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed off plans for vote today after caucus members told her late yesterday they weren't sure they would support it. Liberal Democrats said the proposal was too soft, while conservative members told Pelosi they thought it went too far. Pelosi told reporters that she was confident the measure would pass. Based on what, honey? From what I can see, you guys cannot reach consensus on anything. You know why you guys are so pissed at Bush? It's not because he's having his way with you; it's that you are letting Bush have his way with you.

Army - The Army is spending $2.6 billion on hundreds of European-designed helicopters for homeland security and disaster relief that turn out to have a crucial flaw: They aren't safe to fly on hot days. During flight tests in Southern California in mild, 80-degree weather, cockpit temperatures in the UH-72A Lakota soared above 104, the point at which the Army says the communication, navigation and flight control systems can overheat and shut down. The Lakota represents the Army's first major effort to adapt commercially available helicopters for military use. Air conditioning is standard in commercial versions of the aircraft, which have not had overheating problems. But the military usually avoids air conditioning in military aircraft to reduce weight and increase performance. I suppose in a different day and age, this might have surprised or even angered me. Not anymore. Nevertheless, did it not occur to someone in the procurement process that there was the remote possibility that these helicopters may be called upon for service in regions of the world where it the mercury occasionally exceeds 80 degrees? You know, I bet they did. I bet you the Pentagon came up with a contigency for just this sort of circumstance--something along the lines of this, I imagine--'From now on, all those wishing to do harm to the United States or any of the allies that we care about shall do so only in cool weather climates.'

Stock Market - Stocks fell for a third session today and more weakness in technology shares helped send the Nasdaq down to its biggest weekly point loss since the September 11, 2001, attacks. For the week, the Nasdaq lost 6.5 percent -- or 182 points. The Dow dropped 4.1 percent and the S&P 500 declined 3.7 percent. That's cool. I'm planning to die of natural or unnatural causes long before I have to worry about retiring--so I'm not particularly concerned about my nest egg imploding before my very eyes.