Once again it seems a perception about the Bush administration is proven "inoperative" by new facts. The mantra has been that the Clinton folks blew it on terrorism. And the legend, recorded for posterity on an ABC special, was that a top Clinton aide pulled the plug on an operation to catch the bad guys. Now it turns out there reportedly was such an event -- but the … [Read more...] about U.S. Pulled Plug On 2005 Al Qaeda Chiefs Raid And Irked Intelligence Specialists
Capitol Hill Blue Retracts Controversial Negative Ron Paul Piece
They say that journalism is "instant history." And if journalism is instant history, then blogging is instant history coupled with gut reactions. And if "instant history" must be revised and/or retracted from time to time, just imagine the complications when it comes to blog-like gut reactions. And if you can't imagine it read THIS POST which discusses Capitol Hill Blue's … [Read more...] about Capitol Hill Blue Retracts Controversial Negative Ron Paul Piece
It Can Mean Anything If You Use Your Imagination!
When folks try and tell me--after Stenberg II, after Hein, that the Roberts Court should be applauded for how well it "respects precedent", I just grow ever-surer in my realization that precedent can mean anything if you set your mind to it. … [Read more...] about It Can Mean Anything If You Use Your Imagination!
We’ll Try To Do Right By You, Mother
An Aboriginal group kicks off the Australian leg of the Live Earth Concert in Sydney, one of nine concerts worldwide aimed at persuading people to go green. More here. Photograph by Reuters … [Read more...] about We’ll Try To Do Right By You, Mother
It’s All the Iraqis’ Fault, Dammit
That dwindling minority of unquestioning supporters of the Iraq war have sought out one fall guy after another as Mission Accomplished has become the Forever War: That cooked pre-war intelligence was the fault of an incompetent CIA. Joe Wilson lied and thousands died. The Democrats have been giving comfort to the enemy. Those treacherous Irani mullahs are to blame. Yada yada … [Read more...] about It’s All the Iraqis’ Fault, Dammit
Extremism in Pakistan
Paresh Nath, National Herald, India … [Read more...] about Extremism in Pakistan
Poll: Americans Would Accept Black President And Bush Gets No Libby Bounce
A new Newsweek poll has three key elements: (1) Americans are ready to elect a black President. The poll has some hedges in these numbers but the bottom line is: Americans say they are ready. (2) Despite predictions that President George Bush would get a "bounce" from his conservative base for commuting the sentence of Scooter Libby, it looks like it has not helped him … [Read more...] about Poll: Americans Would Accept Black President And Bush Gets No Libby Bounce
You Could Have Knocked Me Over . . .
. . . with a hanging chad when I found out that George Bush and the Dalai Lama were both born yesterday. But then you know what they say about karma. Well, wait. What do they say? This confoozlement led me to consult at the knee of Craig Johnson, a practicing Buddhist who has not let a previous life as an international investment banker cloud his big picture (which to say … [Read more...] about You Could Have Knocked Me Over . . .
Ron Paul Says He Has More Cash On Hand Than McCain Does (UPDATED)
Does he really or doesn't he? Ron Paul, who has created a huge buzz on the Internet since he displaced Senator John McCain as the "maverick" in the Republican primary race, says he has more cash on hand than the Arizona Senator whose campaign has not been doing well in the money collections department: ABC News' George Stephanopoulos Reports: Though often regarded as a … [Read more...] about Ron Paul Says He Has More Cash On Hand Than McCain Does (UPDATED)
The Political Abyss
Mike Lane, Cagle Cartoons … [Read more...] about The Political Abyss
Supreme Court Racist: Free at Last
As he goes off on vacation, perhaps to write the book for which Rupert Murdoch gave him a $1 million advance, Clarence Thomas can take satisfaction in having embarked on his real life’s work--dismantling the progress in race relations since Brown v Board of Education in 1954. In her syndicated column today, Ellen Goodman points out a significant statement by the usually … [Read more...] about Supreme Court Racist: Free at Last
Chatty Cathy is Even with Steven
The wide-spread belief that women talk more than men? It's a myth. And I have some theories as to where it comes from. … [Read more...] about Chatty Cathy is Even with Steven
Center of Attention
What's funnier: Hookers, cocaine or... censoring president Bush? Fox News again, taking things out of context. Watch the video. Journalistic integrity anyone? Michael Linn Jones strongly disagrees with Broder (who basically wrote that politicians sometimes have to ignore the 'wishes' of 'the people'). Jim Martin: stop fund the war in Iraq ASAP. A rising (young) star … [Read more...] about Center of Attention
Spoiled Little Brats
Should you teach your children that they are special? Jeff Zaslow says no: Don Chance, a finance professor at Louisiana State University, says it dawned on him last spring. The semester was ending, and as usual, students were making a pilgrimage to his office, asking for the extra points needed to lift their grades to A's. "They felt so entitled," he recalls, "and it just … [Read more...] about Spoiled Little Brats
On James Madison, Afghanistan, and East Timor
I wanted to take this opportunity to let you all know that I have a new co-blogger at The Reaction -- a political scientist from California (UCSD) who specializes in elections, electoral systems, and electoral reform (as well as organic farming), who writes the blog Fruits & Votes, and who, at my blog, goes by the name AviShalom. Here are his three most recent posts, each … [Read more...] about On James Madison, Afghanistan, and East Timor
Does MoveOn Get Out the Vote?
A newly released study finds that when people were contacted by MoveOn’s get-out-the-vote canvassers, they appeared to be seven percent more likely to vote than the general population, which is damned significant. For the record, I find MoveOn’s appeals to be akin to the sound of fingernails on a blackboard, but if the study is anywhere near accurate, they are to be … [Read more...] about Does MoveOn Get Out the Vote?
As I Said: I’m With Broder, John Doe Is Stupid. And Newsweek?
For those of you who are wondering whether John Doe really is stupid: today, Nick Rivera links to this poll. The results of the poll: Even today, more than four years into the war in Iraq, as many as four in 10 Americans (41 percent) still believe Saddam Hussein’s regime was directly involved in financing, planning or carrying out the terrorist attacks on 9/11, even though … [Read more...] about As I Said: I’m With Broder, John Doe Is Stupid. And Newsweek?
Porno Mitt
Here's the alluring headline at WaPo: Romney Criticized for Hotel Pornography And what an amusing story it is: "Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney, who rails against the 'cesspool' of pornography, is being criticized by social conservatives who argue that he should have tried to halt hardcore hotel movie offerings during his near-decade on the Marriott … [Read more...] about Porno Mitt
An Ode to the Day Lily
If the area in which I live had an “official†flower, it would be the day lily. Beginning in mid-June and peaking in mid-July, the ubiquitous bright orange blossoms begin appearing on country roadsides, in woods and in gardens until the last flowers fade in August. As their name implies, the flowers of the day lily are transitory, opening at sunrise and withering at … [Read more...] about An Ode to the Day Lily
Bloomberg GOP No More
Gary McCoy, Cagle Cartoons … [Read more...] about Bloomberg GOP No More