Around The ‘Sphere
Our periodic festival of links from all over the Internet. It’s not restricted to any one ideology — and opinions do not necessarily represent ours.
THE EU CONSTITUTION’S PROBLEMS IN FRANCE: We’ve done some posts on this. Now Centerfield’s Jon Kaye looks at this issue. Read it in full, but here’s a small part: “The pundits are all out looking for reasons for this. But none of them mentioned the possibility that people might simply have read it. I read about 2/3 of it, and it’s bad.”
YES RUSH LIMBAUGH DID USE THAT “BJ” WORD when referring to Al Gore’s new cable network. Three things about this: 1)It’s a further cheapening of political discourse, 2)if anyone but Rush or Sean said it some folks would be demanding — and getting — a fine from the FCC, 3) Rush has now set himself up for this withering no-holds-barred response it by the inimitable James Wolcott.
SHOULD BILL FRIST USE THE NUCLEAR OPTION TO ELIMINATE THE FILIBUSTER IN JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS? Frist is now lining up (and pressuring) Senate GOPers to go along with it with appeals to party unity (and threats about political longevity from others). So that means Republicans all think this is the way to go. NOT A TALL. Lee at Right Thinking has a lot of thoughts on this, which should be read in its entirety. A small part 4 U:
There’s no excusing what the Democrats are doing. But eliminating the power of the filibuster is more akin to the Vietnam-era statement that “we had to destroy the village in order to save it.� One day the GOP is going to be the minority party in Congress. (I think it’s going to happen sooner than anyone thinks. My prediction: look for the Democrats to pick up the Senate in 2006.) And when the find themselves in the minority, they’re sure as hell going to wish they had that filibuster.
Our allies the Holocaust-deniers: An excellent analytical look at Turkey at Red State.
WHAT IS A PROGRESSIVE? That’s a questions both Republicans and Democrats have asked. Jazz Shaw gives you his view.
I HAVE TO ADMIT IT’S MY CHECK-BACK-OFTEN WEBSITE and it’s the Drudge like (but not delivering a party message) Sploid, part of Nick Denton’s blog group.
A LINKFEST FROM ASIAN BLOGS via Simon World.
JOHN BOLTON IS BEING EVALUATED AS THE ADMINISTRATION’S NOMINEE TO BE UN AMBASSADOR in Congress — and on the Internet by Charting Rhino’s moderate Republican Jeremy Dibbell. Read his take on Bolton here.
WE’VE CONSIDERED GETTING A DIGITAL CAMERA FOR THIS BLOG and TMV’s vent website but the choices are mind-bloggling. Donald Sensing unboggles it here with specifics on the camera he just bought and why.
IS THERE NEW HOPE FOR ALZHEIMERS SUFFERERS? James Joyner fills you in.
LIVE FROM NEW YORK…IT’S TOM DELAY! Saturay Night Live lampooned DeLay this weekend. Crooks and Liars has the video.
REMEMBER, IT’S INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY: Just look at his kind face.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN HAS SAID HE’LL VOTE AGAINST THE NUCLEAR OPTION TO REMOVE THE FILIBUSTER and some in the GOP call him a party traitor and not-so-subtly warn that they’ll destroy any presidential aspirations. The author of Bull Mooose (who used to work for McCain) another take on it. A small part:
The Moose was once again reminded why he would crawl over a field of broken glass for John McCain.
We live in an age of political cowards, pontificators and panderers. It is rare for a politician to endanger his political future in defense of the truth. A modern version of JFK’s Profiles in Courage would be brief indeed.
That is why it is inspiring for one leader to dare to commit the truth, even if it jeopardizes his popularity with a key constituency. The Moose’s former boss did that just this week on “Hardball” when he announced his opposition to the nuclear option.
MORE ON THE FILIBUSTER: An excellent, long post by “Kevin Featherly, who includes a detailed list of instances throughout history when it was used. Here’s part of what he says in this must-read item:
(In) each case, even the snakiest examples, complaints, protests and concerns of minority parties in the Senate and the constituents they’ve represented got heard and had to be considered. Compromise was called for, even if it wasn’t always delivered.
That may often be unpalatable–and it certainly was unpalatable at the time to senate majorities and presidents. I don’t happen to think that “compromise” is a dirty word….Forty years ago, it was the the Republicans arguing for the preservation of the filibuster on the grounds that the constitutional framers meant for the Senate to be deliberative and that doing away with the filibuster would put an end to the right to hold extensive floor debates. Now, the Democrats are arguing that position.”
HE WAS GOING TO RETURN FROM LEBANON BUT NOW HE’LL STAY: Michael Totten says things are heating up there. Read his post and also look at the wonderful photos he has of the city.
SPEAKING OF WHICH, LEBANON’S ‘CEDAR REVOLUTION’ NOW HAS ITS OWN BLOG and it’s here, written from tent city.
A REMINDER THAT IF YOU WANT TO USE A SUPER QUICK WAY TO LOOK AT A CROSS SECTION OF BLOGS you need to visit Punditdrome.
BIG DEBATE AMONG CONSERVATIVES OVER WHETHER TO HAVE PASSPORTS AT THE BORDER FOR DAY TRIPPERS: Read the details at Carpe Bonum. Our view: TMV lives 15 minutes from the San Diego-Tijuana border. It’s easy for a terrorist to get across by driving or walking. Passports make sense. It’s fascinating to see among lock-step supporters of this administration how many of them swiftly shift gears as soon as there is any kind of a shift from the White House which first came out for the passports, then started fudging on the issue. The bottom line is: the Wall Street Journal article Carpe quotes is wrong and political rhetoric: this is not a “bureaucratic” idea it’s a security idea and even those of us who enjoy the ease with which we get across the border know that if we are talking TRUTHFULLY our border is a terrorist entry port waiting to happen. PS: Carpe Bonum and TMV agree totally on this — as will anyone who has driven or walked across that border.
GENOCIDE IN SUDAN: Who’s to blame for standing by? Anadministration or everyone? Uncorrelated has some thoughts.
