Well, for one, she’s another Sign of the Apocalypse. All on her own.

Truly, a cruise gone bad. But, then, what did they expect off the coast of Somalia?

The New York Times is reporting that “[t]housands of American and Iraqi troops laid siege on Saturday to [the town of Husayba] near the Syrian border in one of the largest military assaults since American-led forces stormed the guerrilla stronghold of Falluja last year”. More: American commanders say Husayba has become a bastion for cells of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, the group led by the Jordanian...

Congratulations, Professor Drezner, from The Reaction — a blog run by a Tufts grad (and a co-blogger here at TMV). Yes, I was there from 1991 to 1995, studying history and political theory and editing and writing (political commentary, film criticism) for The Tufts Daily, one of the great student newspapers in the country. Like so many others, I’ve long been a fan of Drezner’s work, and it’ll...

Professor/blogger Daniel Drezner, who was shocked to learn learned he wasn’t given tenure at his institution — got the good news that he will get a new great new job….and tenure…at Tufts. Drezner’s case had raised fears that blogging could be dangerous to your career. But see? Good things DO happen to good people from time to time. FOOTNOTE: TMV applied to a ton of colleges when...

Pajamas Media, the new bloggers group that has been touted as a possible model for pooling bloggers’ talents and perhaps increasing their income, seems to be generating controversy even before it’s officially launched. First, there were some bloggers who felt they were treated shabbily. And now there’s their choice of a keynote speaker someone who (earth to Pajamas Media organizers) is highly...

Our co-blogger Jack Grant’s posts on both this site and on his are always independent and unique…and the ones he’s posting now are more authoritative than ever. Just to remind our readers: Jack Grant is a scientist working and living in France. So you might want to take special note of any original or “pointer posts” he puts on this site to get his perspective from France….where...

Despite being distracted by personal issues, I do have a perspective on the riots in France that is in some respects first hand. We need to remember that those presenting the news of the unrest have an agenda, and it is up to us as voters to delve into the fundamentals before we react.

I have a relatively unique viewpoint, watching the riots in France from the inside yet with a non-native perspective. However, I have had some family issues that have delayed any writing I may have had about the news. Despite that distraction, I have finally been able to post some commentary about the riots in France and their origins, despite how unsatisfying they may be to those who have political points they...

Due to some personal concerns, I have not been able to write as much as usual, including on the topic of the riots in France, which have not yet spread to the town where I live in the western region, but which are indeed a matter of concern. I have finally posted something that has been gestating for over a week on something that is more fundamental, something that underlies both the riots and the reactions...

Sen. Joseph Biden predicts Supreme Court nominee Judge Samuel Alito will get an up and down vote: A key Democrat said on Sunday that he expects the full Republican-led Senate to vote on U.S. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito without the threat of a Democratic filibuster. But Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware said a decision would not be made about such a possible procedural roadblock until more lawmakers meet with...

He thinks so. (What do you think — people on both sides?)

Shouldn’t we be saying “A pox on both your houses?”

France’s urban unrest spilled has spilled over into the Paris area — underscoring the country’s large Muslim population, economic disparities, the tendency for Muslims to live in specific areas, a culture of hopelessness and — some say — behind the scenes instigation of the violence by Islamic militants. The news reports all paint a picture of a country marked by civil disorder...

Andrew Sullivan on Dick Cheney: He’s still furiously lobbying Senators to protect his right to torture. A man who avoided service in Vietnam is lecturing John McCain on the legitimacy of torturing military detainees. But notice he won’t even make his argument before Senate aides, let alone the public. Why not? If he really believes that the U.S. has not condoned torture but wants to reserve it for...

You can now say with great accuracy that California politics is notable for its star-crossed actors: Actors Warren Beatty and wife Annette Bening tried to crash a campaign appearance Saturday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as the governor sought to drum up last-minute support for a group of statewide ballot measures. The Hollywood couple strode side-by-side to the entrance of an airport hangar where several...

Due to travel and doing a show, TMV’s posts will start a bit later today, mostly after 7 a.m. Stay tuned!

The rioting continues in France (we’ll have more to say about that here later). Notes Centerfield’s Tully: What the reportage dances around in almost all of the articles I have seen is that the rioters are Muslims. Instead, the phraseology is “youths” or “marauding youths,” and “immigrants,” from “neighborhoods with large African and Muslim populations.”...

He did an interview with John Amato and you can listen to the audio here. This in itself is always a hot topic, but it becomes even hotter now that you have Sen. John McCain and Vice President Dick Cheney on different sides of what to do about it.

HONESTLY, folks, why can’t we all admit it and say at the outset that this news item should be filed in the CYA And Get-Something-On-Paper-To-Improve-Our-Image Department? President Bush has ordered White House staff to attend mandatory briefings beginning next week on ethical behavior and the handling of classified material after the indictment last week of a senior administration official in the CIA...

Donald Sensing (one of TMV’s favorite Internet writers) is a pastor and former military man who also worked in the Pentagon. The Sensing’s son is in the Marines (Donald is one person who cannot be accused of being a “chickenhawk” when he writes on Iraq). So the Sensings went to see the new flick “Jarhead.” Here’s a very small part of his review — which MUST be...

President George W. Bush has been a riot in Argentina: MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina – More than 1,000 demonstrators angry about President Bush’s policies clashed with police, shattered storefronts and torched businesses Friday, marring the inauguration of the Summit of the Americas as leaders began debating creation of one of the world’s largest free trade zones. The violence reflected the often...

Tit for tat…

John Dean, the former White House counsel to President Richard Nixon and a key Watergate whistleblower, now says in a column that after he’s read the Plamegate indictment that came down naming “Scooter” Libby he believes the Bush White House faces a far more serious problem than he thought at first glance: Now, however, one indictment has been issued — naming Vice President Cheney’s...

…at a (mercifully) nonpolitical blog: Deadwood Blog. If the title reminds you of the great HBO series, it should: Deadwood Blog is created by some of the folks who worked on the show and decided to try their hand at a blog: From the street, the holding area, and our lives with and without Deadwood, this is a blog for Deadwood’s background players. We hope to post about what’s happening with...