It may come as a surprise to many political observers that Angelina Jolie has not yet decided which candidate will receive her vote this November. Her stated reasons would indicate that she's weighing her options carefully and waiting to hear more from the candidates on the issues most important to her. (These will come as no surprise to those familiar with her extensive work … [Read more...] about The Perils of Endorsement
Obama’s New McCain Is Celebrity Too Campaign Ad
What could be more of a measure of the state of American political discourse than the current campaign 2008 debate over whether Barack Obama is a celebrity and whether if that's true it means he's somehow unfit for the Oval Office? The popular -- and apparently effective -- ad by Republican Senator John McCain's camp has now been countered by a new Barack Obama ad noting … [Read more...] about Obama’s New McCain Is Celebrity Too Campaign Ad
Civil Rights Roundup: 08/11/08
Your daily dose of civil rights and related news A nice article about attempting to register ex-felons to vote. Self-deportation has few takers. Really? The Boston Globe: Being multi-lingual is a good thing, not a threat to American values. The Santeria, a religion which has been at the center of more than a few free-exercise cases over the past several decades, are … [Read more...] about Civil Rights Roundup: 08/11/08
Clinton Campaign Memos: Cliff Notes Version
Mark Penn is a shameless thug. Props to Hillary for not buying totally into his dark vision. McCain has. Longer version here. Apologies to Oliphant for colorizing © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate … [Read more...] about Clinton Campaign Memos: Cliff Notes Version
“Traditional marriage” is a moving target
Kevin Drum points to McClatchy today: 11,000 couples later, gay marriage largely a nonevent in Mass. Says Kevin, "Good." Ampersand quotes from the California court ruling (pdf) that proposition 8 can be officially described as “Changes California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry” (opponents and advocates both recognized that the change of … [Read more...] about “Traditional marriage” is a moving target
Around The Campaign 2008 Sphere
Left, right and center blogs are abuzz with the John Edwards Affair, continued/decreased (choose which one you believe) tensions between Barack Obama and the Clintons, and John McCain's increasingly-effective campaign. Here are links to websites of varying viewpoints: John Edwards' False Assertion On TV has been caught by the HP's Sam Stein, who first reported on the … [Read more...] about Around The Campaign 2008 Sphere
Thrills and history in the pool!
I witnessed the most thrilling swimming competition ever! And I watched history at the same time. The US Men's swimming relay team of Cullen Jones, Jason Lezak, Michael Phelps and Garrett Weber-Gale set a world record (3:08.24) on their way to winning the 4x100 free relay. And Jason Lezak had to come from behind in the anchor leg to win it for the Americans. What a … [Read more...] about Thrills and history in the pool!
Front & Center: Should Bush Torture Regime Architects Be Charged As War Criminals?
Despite the excesses of the Age of Bush -- notably the embrace of torture and willful subjugation of the rule of law -- the U.S. remains a substantially open and just society. So it was inevitable that the consequences of the administration's foulest deeds would begin nipping at the heels of the perpetrators sooner or later. As far back as 2004, participants in White House … [Read more...] about Front & Center: Should Bush Torture Regime Architects Be Charged As War Criminals?
Pro-Choice Voters Need to Take a Look at McCain’s Record
If you are pro-choice, and wish to preserve reproductive rights for women, you need to take a closer look at McCain's record on reproductive rights and other issues affecting women's health. … [Read more...] about Pro-Choice Voters Need to Take a Look at McCain’s Record
Edwards Affair
John Cole, The Scranton Times-Tribune … [Read more...] about Edwards Affair
America the Impotent
In what is becoming an increasingly-tragic and bizarre coda to the Bush Administration, Russia has steamrolled through South Ossetia and is reportedly on its way to the Georgian city of Gori. Russia has effectively achieved its military objectives by repelling Georgian forces from South Ossetia and from Abkhazia. Where the war goes from now is anybody's guess. But the … [Read more...] about America the Impotent
Zalmay Khalilzad’s “Those days are gone.”
If war wasn't so serious. If the Iraq invasion and occupation had not been such a tragedy, and if the ongoing Georgia-Russia "conflict" had not already cost so many lives and did not have the potential of exploding into an unmitigated disaster, the following quote could almost be funny. For now, let's say it is a most clever, imprecise, and incomplete statement Our U.S. … [Read more...] about Zalmay Khalilzad’s “Those days are gone.”
Hawaii: A Cure For ‘Obama Fatigue’…?
US presidential candidate Barack Obama returned to the islands of his birth on Friday and began a much-deserved week-long family holiday. His wife, Michelle, said that you 'can’t really understand Barack until you understand Hawaii', reports The Times. His half-sister, Maya, whom he will be seeing in Honolulu this week, calls Hawaii “such a generally sweet place... you can … [Read more...] about Hawaii: A Cure For ‘Obama Fatigue’…?
Election 2008: Summary
We are now through 40 states with 10 more to go. If you haven’t taken a look at the state-by-state summaries, please check the blog for each one. President: So far Senator Obama retains his lead over Senator McCain. The numbers from the first 40 states give him 269 Electoral Votes to 171 for Senator McCain. He is now just 1 state shy of victory. This is a net Democratic … [Read more...] about Election 2008: Summary
‘Enormous Error’ of President Bush’s ‘Georgian Protege’: From Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza
Now that war has broken out in the Caucuses between Russia and America's staunch ally, Georgia, what do those other staunch U.S. allies, the East Europeans, have to say? In our first East European translation of the consequences of the conflict, Waclaw Radzinowicz writes for Poland's Gazeta Wyborcza: "In deciding to 'liberate' South Ossetia, or as he called it yesterday … [Read more...] about ‘Enormous Error’ of President Bush’s ‘Georgian Protege’: From Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza
Isaac Hayes (1942 – 2008)
The great soul singer, producer, musician, and sometimes actor has died at age 65 today. Hayes, 'Shaft' singer and disco presage, dies ASSOCIATED PRESS MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Isaac Hayes, the baldheaded, baritone-voiced soul crooner who laid the groundwork for disco and whose "Theme From Shaft" won both Academy and Grammy awards, died Sunday afternoon after he collapsed near … [Read more...] about Isaac Hayes (1942 – 2008)
The Grist on The End of Food
Paul Roberts' first book, The End of Oil, was called by Bill McKibben "perhaps the best single book ever produced about our energy economy and its environmental implications." Having anticipated the energy crisis, Roberts has turned his attention to what we eat. His new book, The End of Food, is reviewed by Tom Philpott in The Grist: By switching from oil to food, Roberts … [Read more...] about The Grist on The End of Food
Georgia Being Clawed
Manny Francisco, Manila, The Phillippines … [Read more...] about Georgia Being Clawed
Election 2008: South Carolina
In 1936 when FDR ran for re-election, he won 98% of the vote in South Carolina and won several counties with 100%. In the last 70 years there have been a lot of changes and all of them have benefited the GOP. President: Even when they discuss the idea of breaching the usual GOP dominance in the South, few Democrats talk about South Carolina. Obama will of course benefit from … [Read more...] about Election 2008: South Carolina
Election 2008: Rhode Island
In the contest for the least exciting state in the 2008 campaign, Rhode Island is a serious contender. Republicans currently hold just 18 seats in both houses of the state legislature compared to 95 for the Democrats (in fact if they packed all 18 into the state senate they would still be outnumbered 20-18) President: If Senator Obama never steps foot in the state he will … [Read more...] about Election 2008: Rhode Island