LOOKIN' BAD. … [Read more...] about Good Golly, Miss Dolly
Procrastination Nation: Hi-tech makes us time-wasters?
Color me skeptical... Yet another new study with yet another new tech affliction: According to new research, one person in five now suffers from the problem so badly that their careers, relationships and health are threatened. Many researchers blame computers and mobile phones for providing too many distractions for people. 'The subject is seen as joke,' said Professor … [Read more...] about Procrastination Nation: Hi-tech makes us time-wasters?
Why Isn’t This Mainstream Media News?
JUST ASKING. … [Read more...] about Why Isn’t This Mainstream Media News?
What McCain Needs To Do To Win
A list of dos and don'ts. … [Read more...] about What McCain Needs To Do To Win
Obama’s Race
It's not as if John McCain has become irrelevant, but in the main ring of the '08 electoral circus, all eyes are now on Barack Obama's solo high-wire act as he walks a racial, political and cultural tightrope toward the White House. The questions are less about the two candidates' policies and personalities than about the larger meaning of it all: "Could an Obama Presidency … [Read more...] about Obama’s Race
(Updated) An Unhappy McCain Discovers That The Law of Gravity Has Not Been Repealed
Some pundits are referring to events this week in Iraq as John McCain's "Waterloo." That may or may not be true, but it misses a larger point: While the Bush administration has done plenty of end runs around the Constitution, it was unable to repeal the law of gravity and the consequences of its excesses were bound to come crashing down sooner or later. As the president's … [Read more...] about (Updated) An Unhappy McCain Discovers That The Law of Gravity Has Not Been Repealed
What Do You Want to Know from Obama’s German Fans?
Berlin is abuzz about Senator Obama's upcoming speech on Thursday 7:00 PM local time. How many folks will come to see the messiah as he has been called by some journalists over here? Many press outlets quoted a city government official's estimate of 10,000 to one million people. Wow, that is so precise! It seems that nobody else dares to publish an estimate. It could be a … [Read more...] about What Do You Want to Know from Obama’s German Fans?
Karadzic’s Arrest: Triumph of European Soft Power?
Finally, Serbia is back in Europe. Stephen Castle and Steven Erlanger write in the NY Times: Europe on Tuesday welcomed the arrest of Radovan Karadzic not just as a victory for international justice, but as a vindication of the Continent's favored political doctrine: soft power. (...) In the last few months the European Union has helped bring a pro-Western political party to … [Read more...] about Karadzic’s Arrest: Triumph of European Soft Power?
From Germany’s Frankfurter Rundschau: On Obama’s Speech, and the Nazi Past of the Victory Column …
The controversy over Barack Obama's upcoming speech in Berlin just keeps on going. Now that the decision has been made not to hold the speech near the Brandenburg Gate, moving it instead down the road from the Brandenburg Gate to the Victory Column, some German politicians argue that because the Tower was moved to its present location by Hitler, it, too, is the wrong … [Read more...] about From Germany’s Frankfurter Rundschau: On Obama’s Speech, and the Nazi Past of the Victory Column …
Bush on Wall Street: The Diagnosis
President Bush thought the cameras were off. He was at a fund-raiser and he'd asked them to be switched off. So he said: Transcript and commentary here. … [Read more...] about Bush on Wall Street: The Diagnosis
Kicking Oil Addiction: Europe Looks At Sahara Sun
Britain and France are among European Union nations "discussing ambitious plans to harvest the energy of the Saharan sun, connecting a vast network of solar panels to electricity grids across the continent." According to The Guardian, "the project, estimated to cost up to £35.7 billion, is backed by Gordon Brown and President Sarkozy of France." More here... In 2006 … [Read more...] about Kicking Oil Addiction: Europe Looks At Sahara Sun
McCain’s Desperation and the Return of the Politics of Rove
These must be desperate times in the McCain camp because the old maverick politics have given way to the full Rove. Here's what John McCain had to say today: This is a clear choice that the American people have. I had the courage and the judgment to say I would rather lose a political campaign than lose a war. It seems to me that Obama would rather lose a war in order to win … [Read more...] about McCain’s Desperation and the Return of the Politics of Rove
On “Mavericks,” “Change,” and Centrists
In a recent post, Donklephant's Alan Stewart Carl's correctly takes down the McCain campaign for their latest ad which blames Senator Obama for high gas prices. I don't have a problem with going after McCain for an ad that was grossly unfair. What piqued my interest was his last point: Increasing domestic drilling is definitely an issue we need to debate and McCain … [Read more...] about On “Mavericks,” “Change,” and Centrists
A Really Rotten Guy Gets Justice
Often when I post my rantings around here I expect to get some opposing comments from our readers and even a fellow writer or two. But today I think we can all agree that the capture of Radovan Karadzic is a good thing for everyone concerned. He was one of the most brutal and repressive of the many warlords who ravaged Bosnia and Serbia during the 1990's. According to the … [Read more...] about A Really Rotten Guy Gets Justice
Interview with Steven Wax
As the United States opens its first "war crimes trial" since the aftermath of World War II, not with OBL, but with one of his motor-pool drivers (remember how we tried Hitler's valet, gardener and chauffeur at Nuremberg?), I take this opportunity to continue my series of interviews with players (mostly lawyers) in "the war on terror;" the interview below is with Steven Wax, … [Read more...] about Interview with Steven Wax
Obama’s Popularity Abroad, a Blessing or a Curse?
I can only listen to the Limbaugh show a little bit at a time. Yesterday morning was one of those “little bits,” and I immediately noticed an unusually shrill, angry, agitated tone in the voice of the man on loan from Godddddd. His ranting appeared to be directed at, among other, the huge media attention Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is receiving during … [Read more...] about Obama’s Popularity Abroad, a Blessing or a Curse?
God’s love, satellite delivered: Christian radio opposes local provisions
A bedrock of the traditional broadcasting model has long been localism. Among the best ways to meet the FCC mandate to serve the "public interest, convenience, and necessity" is to produce quality local programming. To that end the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking last November proposing a range of options that encourage more locally-oriented radio. Ars Technica … [Read more...] about God’s love, satellite delivered: Christian radio opposes local provisions
More distorted Iraq history from McCain
As per my post yesterday on the real chronology of the surge, I criticized the tendency of McCain to claim all credit for security improvements in Iraq. The surge was a part of that improvement, to be sure, but the majority of the solution came from events outside the control of US troops: the Anbar Awakening that began months before the surge, Sadr's ceasefire and, sadly, the … [Read more...] about More distorted Iraq history from McCain
Obama: Winning the Iraq Argument
Shaun Mullen discusses the ramifications for McCain's of McCain's argument here. Michael Stickings rounds up commentary by bloggers here. This piece rounds up related quotes and commentary, including a couple of fairly lame counterjabs from the McCain-supporting (or Obama-dissing) side which prove to be fairly easily seen off. After all, McCain's whole argument against … [Read more...] about Obama: Winning the Iraq Argument
India-US Nuclear Deal: Nail-Biting Parliamentary Result
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President George W. Bush have a reason to celebrate. In a way the triumphant nail-biting passage on Tuesday of the India-US Nuclear Deal in the Indian Parliament is their personal victory. "The U.S. will urge other board members of the International Atomic Energy Agency to support an inspection plan tied to the accord during a … [Read more...] about India-US Nuclear Deal: Nail-Biting Parliamentary Result