Leon Panetta, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, wrote a positive, forward-looking Op-Ed in the Washington Post this past weekend. It was titled, "Congress and the CIA: Time to Move On." In his Op-Ed, Panetta rightly commends the men and women of the CIA for the crucial work they are doing to protect our country---for being "America's first line of … [Read more...] about Nitpicking CIA’s Leon Panetta
Ode To A Living Will
I wrote my living will yesterday rather than posting my column. It served a myriad of purposes, the least of which gave the gatekeeper a day off fending those slings and arrows from both extremes of the political spectrum picking apart my prose and carrying on about stuff I didn't write nor intend but rather squabbling among themselves over some intangible twist introduced by … [Read more...] about Ode To A Living Will
John Hughes (1950-2009)
He wasn't a cinematic master, by any means, but he was one of the most distinctive American filmmakers of his generation, and it is indeed difficult to imagine American cinema in the '80s without him. John Hughes died yesterday at the age of 59. I was a bit too young, at the time, for his early seminal movies, such as Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), and … [Read more...] about John Hughes (1950-2009)
Steven Pearlstein on Republican Lies
A lot of bloggers are noticing Steven Pearlstein's piece in today's Washington Post in which he quite forcefully takes Republican leaders in Congress to task for the lies they are propagating, both directly and via their operatives in the streets and at political meetings. … [Read more...] about Steven Pearlstein on Republican Lies
Unhealthy Debate
Left and right, the ugly turn of American politics this month is provoking conflict about the conflict. Paul Krugman decries "recent town halls, where angry protesters--some of them, with no apparent sense of irony, shouting “This is America!”--have been drowning out, and in some cases threatening, members of Congress trying to talk about health reform." Across the … [Read more...] about Unhealthy Debate
Toilet Paper Shortage May Clog Cuban Lifestyle
Now this is a crisis that truly impacts Cuba's bottom line: Cuba, in the grip of a serious economic crisis, is running short of toilet paper and may not get sufficient supplies until the end of the year, officials with state-run companies said on Friday. Officials said they were lowering the prices of 24 basic goods to help Cubans get through the difficulties provoked … [Read more...] about Toilet Paper Shortage May Clog Cuban Lifestyle
Why I Believe That The Insurance Reform Is A Debacle
In yesterday's post I said that I feel that the health care reform proposed as currently proposed will become the Democrat's Medicare Part D, a boondoggle of enormous proportions, and one that will short circuit true reform. GeorgeSorwell called me out to back up this claim, so here I go. First of all, here is a great tool by Kaiser that shows the key points of different … [Read more...] about Why I Believe That The Insurance Reform Is A Debacle
HYPERVENTILATING OVER WORTHLESS POLLS
They’re up, they’re down, and they’re all over the place depending upon who is doing the polling. And sadly they are completely meaningless. They reflect a fickle, highly divided and generally ignorant public that has the attention span of an American Idol Judge. Meaningless poll questions about strongly or slightly disagreeing or agreeing with some pre-formulated simplistic … [Read more...] about HYPERVENTILATING OVER WORTHLESS POLLS
US Drone Kills Pak Taleban Chief Baitullah Mehsud
Baitullah Mehsud, 35, chief of Pakistan's Taliban umbrella group, Tehrik-i-Taliban, was killed in a CIA missile strike inside Pakistan. Pakistan's foreign minister says intelligence sources have confirmed Mehsud's death, reports Voice of America. Pakistani intelligence officers said that the militant commander, blamed for dozens of suicide bombings, including the fatal … [Read more...] about US Drone Kills Pak Taleban Chief Baitullah Mehsud
Al Qaeda Terrorists Kidnap and Torture Iraqi Boy
Just to show you what is at stake in the battle against Al Qaeda by not just foreign countries but elements in Iraq that battle it every day, here's a truly shocking tale via CNN: of a boy who was kidnapped and brutally tortured by unfeeling terrorists: Like many young boys, Khidir loves playing with toy cars and wants to be a policeman like his father when he grows up. … [Read more...] about Al Qaeda Terrorists Kidnap and Torture Iraqi Boy
Town Hall Hecklers
Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Town Hall Hecklers
The Senate’s Most Bipartisan Votes of the Year
At the very least, these are the most high-profile, bipartisan votes of the year in the Senate: 1. Justice Sotomayor's confirmation, for which nine GOP Senators voted yes 2. Expanded funding of "cash for clunkers," for which seven GOP Senators voted yes (Accenting the bipartisanship of the latter vote, Missouri's two Senators split, but not as you might expect: … [Read more...] about The Senate’s Most Bipartisan Votes of the Year
Could a GOP Majority be Obama’s New BFF?
Josh Greenman of the New York Daily News takes a look at the partisan divide in Washington, which recent polls indicate has gotten wider, not narrower, in the Age of Obama, and concludes that it's not the fault of the president. In his view, it's people... not presidents... who are tearing the country asunder. It's an interesting view, and I have to admit that the red blue … [Read more...] about Could a GOP Majority be Obama’s New BFF?
Scene At Tampa Health Care Town Hall Crammed With Protesters Reportedly Turns Violent
We have several posts that look at the increasingly ugly health care town halls amid allegations that they are being spurred on by special interests opposed to health care reform and polarizing talk show hosts and often involve the prevention of discussion rather than spirited discussion or debate. To others, the groups genuinely represent anger and frustration at President … [Read more...] about Scene At Tampa Health Care Town Hall Crammed With Protesters Reportedly Turns Violent
Twitter Attack A ‘Joejob’
And the target was a single user who vocally supports the Republic of Georgia. So says one researcher in a story getting lots of traction: According to Bill Woodcock, research director at the non-profit Packet Clearing House, the torrent of traffic that brought the site to its knees wasn't the result of a traditional DDoS, or distributed denial of service attack, but rather … [Read more...] about Twitter Attack A ‘Joejob’
Mitt Romney Breaks Out the Poison Pen
Mitt Romney has inked a deal to publish a new book in March of 2010, just in time for the mid-term election season and setting himself up nicely to launch a 2012 bid for the White House. Titled "No Apologies," it seems fairly clear what ground the former Mass. governor is seeking to stake out, possibly giving a boost to his party's message as they try to climb back from the … [Read more...] about Mitt Romney Breaks Out the Poison Pen
A Descent Into Ugliness
Nancy Pelosi has been roundly mocked by the right for her comment to a reporter about Republican opponents of health care reform carrying swastikas, but she was telling the truth. And that is far from the only evidence of dangerously high levels of thuggishness on display at townhall meetings and political events across the country, where even Blue Dog Democrats are being … [Read more...] about A Descent Into Ugliness
Old and Angry: The Politics of Crisis
The latest CNN poll confirms what most of the town hall videos show: the angry demonstrators against Democratic health reform plans are, for the most part, far older than 50. Those older than 50 tend to oppose Democratic health care reform and those under 50 tend to support it. Forget for a moment whether or not these protests are truly organic or astroturf, the one … [Read more...] about Old and Angry: The Politics of Crisis
John Hughes Dead At 59
The director of a myriad of 80's hits died of a heart attack earlier today. Our condolences to his family. … [Read more...] about John Hughes Dead At 59
Women of the Week, Men of the Past
Sonia Sotomayor is on her way to the Supreme Court as Laura Ling and Euna Lee are reunited with their families after being wrested from the grasp of Kim Jong-il. Yet the imagery of these triumphant women is blurred by double exposures from the past of men involved in their fates. Voting against Sotomayor's confirmation today as the third woman and first person of Latino … [Read more...] about Women of the Week, Men of the Past