We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2007 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/04/linda_maio_for.html Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:56:08 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2008 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification The ruling Socialist government of Spain just rolled-out its new cabinet. Amongst its list of 17 ministers, this curious choice of Minister of Defense came up: Carme Chacón. Yup, that’s her standing on the right, holding her new “official” briefcase during her swearing-in ceremony last week. She is a 37-year old lawyer whose only experience has been a one-year stint as Housing Minister last year. Of note, during her post graduate studies at Université Laval in Québec she published a STUDY agitating for the secession of Québec from Canada. She then moved on as a low-level Socialist policy wonk and... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/04/linda_maio_for.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/04/linda_maio_for.html Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:17:32 -0600 Judging from the news here on the German and French channels about the pirates on the Somali coast taking a Spanish trawler, it seems that the new Minister of Defense is not involved or has been pushed to a back seat (away from the cameras). The various news shows here seem to be showing a much older Lady in charge of the affair, who seems to be one of the Vice Premiers working for Zapatero. In related news the same news folks were all agaga about a German Frigate rushing to the aid of a Japanese Tanker. Though they emphasized the Minister of Defense' comments that the ships were not there to police those waters. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/04/linda_maio_for.html#comment-72337 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/04/linda_maio_for.html#comment-72337 Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:34:55 -0600 Dangit! If they'd just done it in German I'd be fine. Heh. After all, they wore German helmets and flew German airplanes, and sheltered German gun designers for a long time - izzit to much to ask? http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/04/linda_maio_for.html#comment-72260 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/04/linda_maio_for.html#comment-72260 Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:53:41 -0600 March 11th atrocity committed again in Spain. Then we’ll see what happens. My apologies to those linguistically challenged, as Spanish is the only language that I know that exists on that White Paper.]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/04/linda_maio_for.html#comment-72252 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/04/linda_maio_for.html#comment-72252 Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:09:01 -0600 Boq - got an english version of that paper on Quebec anywhere? http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/04/linda_maio_for.html#comment-72242 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/04/linda_maio_for.html#comment-72242 Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:43:04 -0600 Boq - you missed her putative pacifism... Prime Minister Zapatero trumped all those other Euros with his selection of the first majority-female Cabinet in Euro-History, as well. Well, you don't have to be a military person to be the SecDef, and there are good arguments against putting former military personnel in those positions, for it can be hard to look outside the cultural constraints. It will be interesting to see how this one works out for them. If it weren't for the pain and suffering involved, I'd love to see her truly challenged with a military crisis and see how she handled it. Not because I expect her to fail because she's a woman - but because it would be instructive to see how someone with so little experience in the issues at hand handles the job. But, I don't wish that on the Spaniards. No one needs to suffer a war just so I can satisfy my curiousity. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/04/linda_maio_for.html#comment-72240 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/04/linda_maio_for.html#comment-72240 Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:42:01 -0600