Every account that I've read of the recent developments in Pakistan has suggested that Musharraf has declared a state of emergency in order to go after the liberal opposition. It's the media, political party activists, pro-democracy lawyers and others who are being targeted; it's not the Taliban and other radical militants. As Arif Rifaq noted in The Baltimore Sun yesterday, … [Read more...] about Musharraf’s Crackdown
My Open Letter to Rep. Mark Souder on ENDA
The US House of Representatives is discussing ENDA right now and you can watch it on C-SPAN. You can contact Rep. Mark Souder, a Republican from Indiana's 3rd District, HERE. Dear Rep. Souder, I lived and voted in the State of Indiana for 24 years, from 1976-2000, graduated from IU and am a former employee of the State of Indiana. I moved back to Ohio in 2000 and am both … [Read more...] about My Open Letter to Rep. Mark Souder on ENDA
“I Veto, Therefore I Am”
That's the new theme of the Bush Administration. In 1948, Harry Truman got to the White House by railing against a Republican "do-nothing" Congress, and George W. Bush is using the tactic in an effort to stay "relevant" as he prepares to leave the Oval Office. "Congress has little to show for all the time that has gone by," he complained at his last press conference, a … [Read more...] about “I Veto, Therefore I Am”
Behind Today’s Endorsements
Shaun Mullen beat me to the punch on the Robertson-Rudy endorsment, but there is another endorsement of some note in the GOP race: Brownback for McCain. Politico has the details on both. And what are we to make of all this noise? The Brownback-McCain pairing is logical and (though not yet official) may already be helping McCain who (discounting margins-of-error for … [Read more...] about Behind Today’s Endorsements
Why I’ve Decided to Support Rudy
It is with a red face and a newfound sense of humility that I take back all of the bad things that I've been saying about Rudy Giuliani and his unsuitability to be prezdent. My about-face is because of the news that the Reverend Pat Robertson is throwing his support behind America’s Mayor. I figure that if Giuliani, with all of his moral failings, whackadoodle ideas and … [Read more...] about Why I’ve Decided to Support Rudy
Center of Attention
A weekly round up of recent commentary by assorted voices who either attempt to strike a balanced note on heated debates and controversial issues, or improve our ability to find our own sense of balance by exposing us to new information and different points-of-view. -------------------------- This post from Steve Clemons caught my eye largely because Steve does not … [Read more...] about Center of Attention
The Week That Bush Dicked Nixon
I'm fond of saying that public-opinion polls are a snapshot in time – and, oh, what a time we're living in. Hell, it's only Wednesday, but the Senate Judiciary Committee has implicitly endorsed the Bush administration’s embrace of torture, the House overrode the president's veto of a popular water projects measure and approved a bill to pay for veterans' programs despite … [Read more...] about The Week That Bush Dicked Nixon
The Demonization Of Hillary Clinton Approaches High Gear
This is now getting ridiculous when it has reached this sewer-level point. NOTE TO THOSE WHO THINK THIS WINS VOTES: There are independent voters such as myself who truly will listen to all candidates, even those with which we disagree strongly, and make up our minds accordingly. This kind of speculative crap does not BELONG in American politics. It may delight those who … [Read more...] about The Demonization Of Hillary Clinton Approaches High Gear
Weblog Awards Week Of Voting Open Until Nov. 8
Voting is now open for the 2007 Weblog Awards. Yesterday several readers emailed to ask us to post the links to the category TMV is and to let them know about finalist blogs of those who write on TMV. So we'll put this same exact post up every day until the voting ends. You can vote HERE. TMV is on THIS LIST. TMV is now in the 251-500 category but will not be … [Read more...] about Weblog Awards Week Of Voting Open Until Nov. 8
Eleanor Roosevelt: An Appreciation
Our historic memory being what it is, and growing shorter with each succeeding generation, it is easy to forget that there was a woman political trailblazer 60 years before Hillary Rodham Clinton. With Clinton having a good shot at being the Democratic presidential nominee and first woman president, it seems appropriate to pause and pay homage to Eleanor … [Read more...] about Eleanor Roosevelt: An Appreciation
NATO Lacks a Promising and Coordinated Strategy to Win in Afghanistan
The Netherlands have tried to apply an 'ink blot' strategy in the Uruzgan province of Afghanistan, i.e. they focused on weaning the local population from supporting the Taliban, de-escalation and gradual expansion of a zone of security within which reconstruction can take place. One of the reasons the Netherlands seem to be gradually abandoning the strategy is that the … [Read more...] about NATO Lacks a Promising and Coordinated Strategy to Win in Afghanistan
Scriptwriter Strike
Mike Keefe, The Denver Post … [Read more...] about Scriptwriter Strike
Ron Paul’s $4.3 Million One-Day Donations Rocks The Republicans
Rep. Ron Paul may not have shaken up the Republican 2008 Presidential nomination race yet in terms of poll numbers, but he is certainly rocking the establishment's conventional wisdom world in terms of fund-raising: Ron Paul's head-snapping fundraising puts a new face on a campaign that the media, politicians and much of the public had relegated to the sidelines. The … [Read more...] about Ron Paul’s $4.3 Million One-Day Donations Rocks The Republicans
Oh, No! The Worst News Yet
There'll be a revolution. Just read the second part of this post's headline. … [Read more...] about Oh, No! The Worst News Yet
Republican Effort To Change California Electoral Votes Distribution Revived
Dracula has risen from the grave. Just when you think Dracula is dead, he rises again. He rises to prey, suddenly on the unsuspecting and unprepared -- and suck their blood. Now, just when Californians thought a widely-condemned and widely-characterized-as-partisan attempt to make California a special place where the usual rules of winner-take-all electoral college … [Read more...] about Republican Effort To Change California Electoral Votes Distribution Revived
Fluid Democracy
Cam Cardow, The Ottawa Citizen … [Read more...] about Fluid Democracy
Obama is Supported by the Vast Majority of Democratic Foreign Policy Advisers
James Traub had a very interesting article about Barack Obama's foreign policy credentials in the New York Times on Sunday. While the media and many Americans -- according to polls -- question his experience, the experts apparently prefer Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton: There are maybe 200 people on the Democratic side who think about foreign policy for a living,†as … [Read more...] about Obama is Supported by the Vast Majority of Democratic Foreign Policy Advisers
Fred W. McDarrah (1926-2007)
Longtime readers of the Village Voice will mourn the passing today of staff photographer Fred W. McDarrah, who over a 50-year span documented the rise of the Beat Generation, the New York City’s postmodern art movement, its politicians and social protests. More here. … [Read more...] about Fred W. McDarrah (1926-2007)
Maliki: Political Reconciliation Has Already Happened
Marc Lynch, writing over at Abu Aardvark, reports on a recent interview with the Iraqi prime minister: Last week Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki mocked Iraqis calling for national reconciliation and dismissing them as self-interested conspirators. On Friday, he elaborated on his views of the current Iraqi political scene in a very intriguing, and frankly troubling, … [Read more...] about Maliki: Political Reconciliation Has Already Happened
One Step Closer for Mukasey
And there we have it: Michael Mukasey was recommended to the full Senate this morning by the Judiciary Committee, on an 11 to 8 vote, with Senators Schumer and Feinstein (as expected) tipping the scales in the AG-to-be's favor. MSNBC does an excellent job recapping and expanding on the basics, here and here, including the widely held assumption that the full Senate will … [Read more...] about One Step Closer for Mukasey