Now that we have pulled out of Iraq -- on a schedule negotiated by the Bush administration -- and as instability and violence are on the increase there -- as we feared they would -- the very same chickenhawks who got us into this mess are now rearing their heads to blame Obama -- as we knew they would. They are now saying the same they would have said if we had pulled out … [Read more...] about As Iraq Flounders, Another Chance for Neocons to Attack Obama
Ben Nelson (D-NE) To Retire
Multiple sources are reporting that Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson will not seek re-election to the US Senate in 2012. This certainly is not good news for the Democrats and their effort to retain control but it may not be all bad. Keeping the Nelson seat was going to be hard and now they can likely write the seat off and focus resources elsewhere. But it does increase … [Read more...] about Ben Nelson (D-NE) To Retire
Putin is Better than Goldman Sachs (Komsomolskaya Pravda, Russia)
Despite recent unrest over the rule of Vladimir Putin and the perception that the recent Duma elections were rigged in favor of his party, many Russians regard him as a hero that has protected the nation from Western interests seeking to undermine Russian influence. For the Komsomolskaya Pravda, columnist Dmitry Voskoboinikov writes that whatever warts Putin and Russia may … [Read more...] about Putin is Better than Goldman Sachs (Komsomolskaya Pravda, Russia)
Campaign in Descent? Newt Gingrich Faces Multi-Fronted Bad News
Is former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's once-dead-once-surging campaign for the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination on the descent again? When taken together a series of news stories and developments suggest his chances of winning the nomination could be dwindling. In politics it isn't true that "I don't care what you say about me as long as you spell my name correctly." … [Read more...] about Campaign in Descent? Newt Gingrich Faces Multi-Fronted Bad News
A NOTA Limerick
In some countries, when the choices on the ballot aren’t good ones, people can pull the NOTA (None Of The Above) lever. Maybe Americans should have the same option... A NOTA Limerick I once was a politics doter, Today, though, this realm seems remoter; The two parties' fare? Who cares 'bout that pair? In 2012 I'll vote NOTA. More at: "This God-Awful Political … [Read more...] about A NOTA Limerick
Trying to Think Like the Tea Party
In the residue of Christmas spirit, an attempt to understand what’s behind a toxic cloud that the Tea Party has cast over American government all year: Yes, the economy has been bad, and many of us have been hurting—-from young people without jobs to the retired with no increases in Social Security and no place to earn interest on their life savings. Yes, bailouts and … [Read more...] about Trying to Think Like the Tea Party
The economic factors behind Arab Spring revolutions and why Mubarak was right
2011 saw some world pillars toppling down. Dictators have fallen in the Arab world as people were hoping for a better future. Prime Ministers have fallen in Europe as its currency plunged into crisis. An earthquake and tsunami pummeled Japan, confronting it with the specter of nuclear disaster. But while the Arab Spring revolutions erupted unexpectedly, their results have … [Read more...] about The economic factors behind Arab Spring revolutions and why Mubarak was right
WiFi
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about WiFi
Why We Need Better B.S. (Guest Voice)
Why We Need Better BS by Tom Purcell Here's something we can do with less of in 2012: BS. It's all over television, in magazines and in newspapers -- and even in our serious papers, such as The New York Times. It is spouted by politicians and pitched by product spokesmen. Modern life is manufacturing an unprecedented amount of it. BS "is unavoidable whenever … [Read more...] about Why We Need Better B.S. (Guest Voice)
Ron Paul and the Invisible Empire
I need to warn you that what follows may be a bit confusing. It sure as hell confused me over a decade and more. But it's timely for "Boxing Day" and if it scores a knockdown, that's great. A TKO or KO would be better, but we takes what we can gets. [h/t to Jan C. for the link that started this descent into the "Political Cesspool"] Note the use of "parasites" … [Read more...] about Ron Paul and the Invisible Empire
“Easy Riders” Subvert the Democratic Process
“It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood.” --James Madison, The Federalist Papers Madison would have been appalled at the incoherence of much of the legislation enacted by Congress in the modern era. While the body of … [Read more...] about “Easy Riders” Subvert the Democratic Process
Why the Kim Jong-un Regime is ‘Doomed’ (The Daily North Korea, South Korea)
Arranging smooth successions has been the bane of despots since the dawn of history - and today's North Korea is a perfect example. Does the death of Kim Jong-il mean the beginning of the end of the Kim dynasty? Columnist Sohn Gwang-joo of South Korea's Daily North Korea explains why contradictions in the system coupled with the inexperience of the country's new despot … [Read more...] about Why the Kim Jong-un Regime is ‘Doomed’ (The Daily North Korea, South Korea)
Deadly ‘Virus’ of Censorship Terrorizes the White House (La Stampa, Italy)
Is America's fear of terrorism putting a chill on essential scientific research? For Italy's La Stampa, columnist Piero Bianucci warns that the White House, in an unprecedented move to prevent terrorists from getting their hands on an even more deadly form of bird flu, has persuaded science journals Science and Nature to censor themselves, undermining the free flow of … [Read more...] about Deadly ‘Virus’ of Censorship Terrorizes the White House (La Stampa, Italy)
Firing an Icon, Pauline Kael
A mutual grandparent at holiday dinner confronts me with the accusation that I fired a cinema icon in the 1960s. Guilty. So I may as well share my confession with the whole world. I brought out the worst in Pauline Kael. She started irritating me the minute we met and never stopped. Looking for a movie reviewer with intelligence and style when I became editor of McCalls, … [Read more...] about Firing an Icon, Pauline Kael
Advertising Excess — A Banana Too Far
The areas of our lives touched by advertising have been growing like kudzu over the years, and have long passed the line of good sense much less good taste. Every time one leaves the house these days (or stays home for that matter) he or she seems to be assaulted by yet another way, another space, in which advertisers are peddling their wares. Promotional videos on … [Read more...] about Advertising Excess — A Banana Too Far
New Hampshire Poll: Romney Ahead, Paul Rising
A new New Hampshire poll has good news for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, not-so-good-news for former House Speaker New Gingrich and good news for Rep. Ron Paul: Romney is ahead and Paul is rising: Newt Gingrich’s surge has slowed and Ron Paul has gained momentum, but Mitt Romney remains the clear front-runner in New Hampshire with a little more than two weeks … [Read more...] about New Hampshire Poll: Romney Ahead, Paul Rising
Unleashing The Ugly
Conservatism, like Dr. Jekyll, has undergone an ugly transformation. Those who claim that mantle these days say they stand for liberty. However, they have long forgotten Edmund Burke's caveat: "But what is liberty without wisdom, and without virtue? It is the greatest of all possible evils; for it is folly, vice, and madness, without tuition or restraint." And, on the … [Read more...] about Unleashing The Ugly
Quote of the Day: Huckabee on Republican Presidential Candidates and Barack Obama
Our political Quote of the Day comes from ex-GOP Presidential contender and Fox News hit political personality Mike Huckabee on his fellow GOPers and Barack Obama: Asked whether he second-guessed himself over his decision not to run for president, Huckabee really went for it. “Republicans can’t decide what they want to be when they grow up,” he said, adding, “I know … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Huckabee on Republican Presidential Candidates and Barack Obama
Ron Paul Is No Longer Defining Ron Paul (UPDATED)
By not definitively repudiating newsletters that went out under his name that had racism or political Twilight Zone-ish ideas to the media's satisfaction, Rep. Ron Paul has let the newsletters and his critics define him. The issue is is lingering out there, becoming a field day for cartoons and -- if he wins Iowa -- and low hanging fruit for late night comedians. For … [Read more...] about Ron Paul Is No Longer Defining Ron Paul (UPDATED)
The Ever Inflating Higher Education Bubble
The accessibility and efficacy of a college education ain't what it used to be. Glenn Reynolds, aka, Instapundit, (who is a law professor) offers a video that looks at the issue: … [Read more...] about The Ever Inflating Higher Education Bubble