The FBI and KBG are still playing the old games. The Bureau, which failed to anticipate the Times Square bomber, has been relentlessly tracking Russian agents posing as suburban homeowners for years, and the former spymaster Vladimir Putin is kvetching about it "Back at your home," he tells another retiree, Bill Clinton, drawing a laugh, "the police went out of control … [Read more...] about News from the Cold War Nursing Home
Selig Cartwright And Mr. B Share A Laugh (A new Goldman Sachs washroom attendant adventure — #12)
Mr. B. I haven't seen you this happy since you suckered the Beltway crowd on that A.I.G. bailout. That was fun alright, and we haven't lost our touch. You may not have known it, Selig, but all that talk of real financial reform awhile back had me worried. Actually sir, there were hints. You seemed digestively challenged for a time. Well, that's water under the bridge. … [Read more...] about Selig Cartwright And Mr. B Share A Laugh (A new Goldman Sachs washroom attendant adventure — #12)
Hey, Arizona, Let’s Refuse Water And Electricity To Immigrants
Hoping to ride anti-immigrant sentiment to victory in the fall elections, Arizona Corporation Commission candidate Barry Wong has proposed cutting off public utility service to those who cannot prove their legal status. The Corporation Commission regulates public utilities including gas, water and electricity in the state. Under Wong’s proposal, public utilities would be … [Read more...] about Hey, Arizona, Let’s Refuse Water And Electricity To Immigrants
Dave Weigel and the rise of young libertarian journalists in DC
In the wake of Dave Weigel's resignation from the Washington Post after a number of his emails were leaked to online news outlets, dozens of bloggers and journalists penned posts honoring and defending Weigel's journalistic integrity. One such defense was written by Julian Sanchez for The Atlantic's website and is notable not because it's different from all the other posts but … [Read more...] about Dave Weigel and the rise of young libertarian journalists in DC
To Think John Boehner Could Be The Next House Speaker
To hear Democratic media cheerleaders tell it, Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner had a tough day at the office Tuesday. The office of the editorial board of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, that is. His interview did not go well and the film clips I saw made him look like he swallowed a month's prescription of a sedative moments before the sit down. I disagree … [Read more...] about To Think John Boehner Could Be The Next House Speaker
Fluff And Bluster At The Kagan Hearings
Confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court make for good theatre, I suppose. Lots of face time to flatter lots of egos. But, what have we really learned so far? Let’s recap. Most Republicans, lead by the ever so open minded Jeff Sessions, wouldn’t vote for Elena Kagan if Ronald Reagan rose from the grave to endorse her. Most Democrats, lead by the ever so reticent Chuck … [Read more...] about Fluff And Bluster At The Kagan Hearings
This Year Anti-Incumbency Movement Succeeds or Fails (Guest Voice)
This Year Anti-Incumbency Movement Succeeds or Fails by Joel S. Hirschhorn For some years a number of groups have mounted an anti-incumbency campaign aimed at ridding Congress of the huge majority that keep getting reelected despite miserable performance. This year’s midterm elections provide the ultimate test for all the anti-incumbency sentiment that has bubbled up … [Read more...] about This Year Anti-Incumbency Movement Succeeds or Fails (Guest Voice)
Confirmation Hearings A Farce, Kagan Said, Until She Was Nominated
In a 1995 book review, Elena Kagan wrote that the Supreme Court confirmation hearings were an “air of vacuity and farce.” Now that Kagan is the nominee, she changed her mind and agrees the lifetime appointees should remain mum if questions from senators “have some bearing on a case that might some day come before the Court.” Her epiphany came, she testified Tuesday, when … [Read more...] about Confirmation Hearings A Farce, Kagan Said, Until She Was Nominated
Look at Our Yellow Ribbons (Guest Voice)
Look at Our Yellow Ribbons by Tina Dupuy Edith Shain was 91 years old when she died peacefully last week in her home in Los Angeles. You knew her as the woman in the iconic black and white photo of a jubilant soldier kissing a nurse in Times Square on V-J Day. The snapshot tells an American tale of a war ending and an entire generation of people coupling up - creating the … [Read more...] about Look at Our Yellow Ribbons (Guest Voice)
The Kagan Confirmation
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about The Kagan Confirmation
The Other Side of Gen. Petraeus’ Confirmation Hearings (UPDATED)
Most of the reports I have seen on today’s Senate confirmation hearings for General David H. Petraeus’ nomination to Commander, ISAF/US Forces–Afghanistan, focused on what the senators and the general had to say, ask and answer about our political and military objectives, policies, strategy and tactics and about the course of the war itself in Afghanistan—as it should … [Read more...] about The Other Side of Gen. Petraeus’ Confirmation Hearings (UPDATED)
Daily Kos Sues Pollster (Research 2000)
I've long wondered about the Daily Kos polling, it always seemed to show higher approval for Democrats and lower approval for Republicans than all of the other polling organizations. I hardly expected Kos to pay any attention to my suspicions since I figured I was coming from the other side of the fence. Looks like there was a reason for the wondering. To his credit, … [Read more...] about Daily Kos Sues Pollster (Research 2000)
Andrew Breitbart’s Offer
He's offering $100,000 and complete guaranteed anonymity to anyone who gives him JournoList's entire archives: … [Read more...] about Andrew Breitbart’s Offer
The Political Overtones of World Cup Football: Al-Arab al-Yawm, Jordan
Do the World Cup Football results reflect global political realities? According to columnist Muwaffaq Mahadeen of Jordan's Arabic-language Al-Arab Al-Yawm, football aka/soccer, which he writes dates to the Mayan civilization, was never just about sport, and the teams that succeed or fail reflect the fortunes of the nations they represent. For Al-Arab Al-Yawm, columnist … [Read more...] about The Political Overtones of World Cup Football: Al-Arab al-Yawm, Jordan
Apparently, HOAs Don’t Support the Troops
I heard this appalling story on NPR while running errands this afternoon: Not So Neighborly Associations Foreclosing On Homes by Wade Goodwyn Capt. Mike Clauer was serving in Iraq last year as company commander of an Army National Guard unit assigned to escort convoys. It was exceedingly dangerous work — explosive devices buried in the road were a constant threat to the … [Read more...] about Apparently, HOAs Don’t Support the Troops
Why I Am Not In Awe Of The Rich And Famous
A friend from the 1960s tracked me down after all these years and in our email exchanges asked what I thought about Joe McCain. Joe is Arizona Sen. John McCain's younger brother. He worked briefly for the two San Diego dailies in the late 1960s where my friend and I toiled. Joe immediately established himself as a legend. Not as a reporter. As a prankster of which … [Read more...] about Why I Am Not In Awe Of The Rich And Famous
Senate Judiciary Committee Reject Thurgood Marshall
It looks unlikely that Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to send Thurgood Marshall's nomination to the full Senate, although of course they don't have the votes to stop it. … [Read more...] about Senate Judiciary Committee Reject Thurgood Marshall
Eliminate Party Primaries for Local Offices in Mississippi
Steve Rankin (Free Citizen), third party advocate and one of the country's leading experts on state party primary structures, responded to columnist Bill Minor in the Jackson Mississippi Clarion Ledger from last week "Maybe Miss. is ready to install open primary system," June 18) with a letter in which Rankin calls for nonpartisan elections at the county level. Since the … [Read more...] about Eliminate Party Primaries for Local Offices in Mississippi
Vandalism, Violence, and Deficit Reduction: Thoughts on the G20 Summit in Toronto
I spent the past several days well away from Toronto's downtown core, well away from the G20 protest areas, well away from the security net that effectively divided the city into two. I used to live downtown, near the University of Toronto, and I still work downtown, in a high-security area, but I now live in the suburbs east of the city. I didn't ignore what went on, though. I … [Read more...] about Vandalism, Violence, and Deficit Reduction: Thoughts on the G20 Summit in Toronto
How to Avoid Undermining Our Own Afghan Strategy
Guest post by Peter Henne Peter S. Henne is a Security Fellow with the Truman National Security Project and a doctoral candidate at Georgetown University. ********** With the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan looming, concrete steps that would facilitate stabilization of the country are in high demand. Two possibilities that have gained some traction are power-sharing … [Read more...] about How to Avoid Undermining Our Own Afghan Strategy