Former actor and aspiring 2008 Republican Presidential nominee Fred Thompson debuted in his first debate today - -and he was big b.o. (that's Variety parlance for box office, by the way.). But did he live up to the advance billing? Was he another Ronald Reagan? Or did he flop? Fizzle? Help himself? Shoot himself in the foot or where the sun don't shine? Was his performance … [Read more...] about Fred Thompson’s Debate Reviews: Not A Flop Not A Smash
A Weak America Means a Weak Europe
Does anti-Americanism threaten European interests? According to this op-ed article from the NRC Handlesblad of The Netherlands, America's decline endangers European prestige, and will require EU leaders to do something they are ill-prepared for: fill the vacuum left by retreating American power. NRC Handlesblad, The Netherlands "As long as America is weak, European … [Read more...] about A Weak America Means a Weak Europe
Using a child to push a political agenda…
...of course, the Republicans would NEVER do such a thing, so that makes it OK to attack the child when the Democrats do it. Oh, wait a minute... … [Read more...] about Using a child to push a political agenda…
UPDATED: CNBC Republican Candidates Debate
UPDATE: A commenter provided a link to the transcript. Thanks! Fred Thompson's in this one, folks! CNBC Republican Debate - The presidential candidates squared off focusing on economic issues CNBC GOP Presidential Debate Blog Live from Dearborn, Michigan Live-Blogging from The Fix (WP) Live-Blogging from The Caucus (NY Times) Live-Blogging from CNN Political … [Read more...] about UPDATED: CNBC Republican Candidates Debate
I’ve Got a Secret
The following is publicly available information that nonetheless was rejected from being heard in the legal system because it might compromise "state secrets": On occasion, the US has been known to pluck random people off the street, hold them incommunicado, beat them up for several months, then, realizing they've got the wrong guy, drop them off blindfolded on a hillside in … [Read more...] about I’ve Got a Secret
Everyday Voices
What do a 20-something college student, a 30-something software engineer, and a 40-something mother of a special needs teenager have in common? For one thing, they all agreed to be interviewed by John Baird at CS for a new series, "By the People." As John explains in the series' first installment: Polls dominate our lives: Right track. Wrong track. The economy is great or … [Read more...] about Everyday Voices
The War Against Graeme Frost: Get That School Kid
The war is continuing. It is a brutal war. It's now in a "take no prisoners" stage. It involves sending more troops out to the scene. It's taking up lots of time as people find new ways to denounce the enemy. It will not end until the enemy is defeated and cannot raise his head to be a problem again. No, that isn't a report about the latest Iraq strategy, it's a summary … [Read more...] about The War Against Graeme Frost: Get That School Kid
On Graeme Frost & Osama bin Laden
At least somebody has their priorities straight I was going to blog today about all of the dumpster diving that Michelle Malkin, Rush Limbaugh and Friends are doing over at 12-year-old Graeme Frost's house, but then I became distracted by something far less important: You’re not gonna believe this, but the Bush administration appears to have trashed an extremely … [Read more...] about On Graeme Frost & Osama bin Laden
Memo From Baghdad: The Surge Is Dead. By the Way, Partition Is, Too
Al-Hashimi gifts children who lost fathers in civil war When the definitive history of the sad affair known as the Iraq war is written, a meeting on September 27 between Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, the country's most influential Shiite politician, and Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the most respected Shiite religious leader, will be a mere footnote. That meeting, … [Read more...] about Memo From Baghdad: The Surge Is Dead. By the Way, Partition Is, Too
Domestic Torture Program
Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune … [Read more...] about Domestic Torture Program
An Inconvenient Truth, Indeed
Brace yourself for the Nobel Prize being branded a vast left-wing conspiracy. That is the kind of whining that can be expected from global warming deniers if Al Gore wins or shares the Nobel Peace Prize, as The Times of London is breathlessly speculating, for his Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth and his other efforts to sound the alarm. While this would … [Read more...] about An Inconvenient Truth, Indeed
What Is “The Great White Hope”?
Is it THIS? … [Read more...] about What Is “The Great White Hope”?
This Just In!!
THIS JUST IN from investigative reporter Andy Borowitz:In Sign of Confidence, Clinton Airs Vicious Attack Ads about Herself Bid to Pre-empt Rivals, Aides Say In a sign of confidence befitting her status as frontrunner, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) today began airing what her aides are calling “extremely vicious attack ads about … [Read more...] about This Just In!!
Sen Craig’s Long Goodbye
Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune … [Read more...] about Sen Craig’s Long Goodbye
Musharraf’s Political Deal Reportedly Angers Pakistanis
President Pervez Musharraf has long been balancing on a shaky tightrope. Is he now standing on a tightrope in the middle of an unfolding political earthquake? The Christian Science Monitor reports that many Pakistanis are increasingly irate over the politically nimble President's latest maneuver: Atif Jehangir sits in the half-light of Rajah Market on a cool late-summer … [Read more...] about Musharraf’s Political Deal Reportedly Angers Pakistanis
Little Hope of Making Democrats of Iraqis…
Will it be possible to convert Iraq's religious parties to democracy? This op-ed written by an Iraqi attorney warns of the unlikelihood of such an eventuality. "No religious party on earth believes in democracy … How could such people believe in democracy, which recognizes the validity of other peoples' opinions?" By Salam al-Yasiry, a writer and attorney Translated … [Read more...] about Little Hope of Making Democrats of Iraqis…
If He Criticizes Your Side, Demonize Him And Try To Discredit Him (UPDATED)
Even if he's only 12 years old. UPDATE: Several emails ask for my personal opinion. Suffice to say as someone who works extensively with young people (I did a full day at a high school in Central CA on Friday) of ALL ages, my reaction to this attempt to take the kid out is the same as my reaction to President Bush's veto: some Republicans do not realize how mean-spirited … [Read more...] about If He Criticizes Your Side, Demonize Him And Try To Discredit Him (UPDATED)
America’s ‘Senate of Fools’
How do Iraqis feel about the Senate's recent non-binding resolution to partition their nation? This op-ed from Iraq's Kitabat newspaper expresses popular Iraqi rage not only over the Senate resolution, but the entire enterprise of invasion. "The Americans were remarkable and even creative in their zeal to introduce policies of unmitigated stupidity, and once it began, the … [Read more...] about America’s ‘Senate of Fools’
Sandy Berger Now Advising Hillary Clinton’s Campaign
Up until now, you could say that New York Senator Hillary Clinton has run a remarkably smart campaign: she has stayed on-message (straying only a few times), carefully positioned herself, and avoided the kind of dumb, tin-eared political stumbles that candidates make when they're either overconfident or have lousy advisers. Until now: Sandy Berger, who stole highly … [Read more...] about Sandy Berger Now Advising Hillary Clinton’s Campaign
Health Care Crime
Of all the ills of American health care, least visible is the pervasive fraud it encourages in everyone involved--doctors, patients, labs, hospitals and, most of all, the insurers who manage the mess. One small symptom can be seen in a New York Times report of 91 Medicare audits showing “widespread violations of patients’ rights and consumer protection standards†in … [Read more...] about Health Care Crime