It's Gül vs. Sarkozy: Ankara refused on Thursday a proposal to set up a Mediterranean club, floated by new French President Nicolas Sarkozy as an alternative to full membership in the EU, and urged the conservative politician to respect membership agreements signed between Turkey and the bloc. Sarkozy, who took over office from Jacques Chirac on Wednesday, is a strong … [Read more...] about Turkey and the EU
Attorneygate: Thinking the Unthinkable
After whining yesterday that there’s nothing that anyone can do to force out disgraced Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, an increasing number of Republicans are now riding to the rescue by publicly calling for his ouster, one of several developments noted by Joe in the post below. This raises the possibility that there may be enough votes for impeachment if the AG and his … [Read more...] about Attorneygate: Thinking the Unthinkable
Alberto Gonzales, George Bush, John Ashcroft And The “Wednesday Night Ambush”
Anyone who lived through the administration of Richard Nixon and the Watergate crisis fully remembers The Saturday Night Massacre (I was in New Delhi, India, interning on The Hindustan Times and was so upset about it that I went into the office of editor George Verghese and told him I feared what would happen in my country. He coolly and correctly told me: "Let's just see how … [Read more...] about Alberto Gonzales, George Bush, John Ashcroft And The “Wednesday Night Ambush”
An Israeli Town Of “Sitting Ducks?”
From Pajamas Media's Tel Aviv Editor Allison Kaplan Sommer: Folks who live in the city of Sderot in southern Israel know full well that they are being used as pawns in a deadly game of chicken by Hamas. They don’t like it one bit. Read it all. … [Read more...] about An Israeli Town Of “Sitting Ducks?”
A Republican’s Right To Choose
RJ Matson, Roll Call … [Read more...] about A Republican’s Right To Choose
Triangle of Death Hostage Search: Day Six
THE DEAD AND MISSING Stiff upper lips are the order of the day, but commanders of the 6,000 troops hunting for three missing U.S. soldiers in the Triangle of Death are clearly worried that nothing has been heard about the men -- no communiques, no videos, nothing -- since the initial Al Qaeda statement that it had the men shortly after they were ambushed and four colleagues … [Read more...] about Triangle of Death Hostage Search: Day Six
Why Voters Vote The Way They Do
Why Voters Vote The Way They Do By Bill Steigerwald How do voters choose their candidates? How do they process all the political information that they are bombarded with so they can make intelligent choices during elections like next week's primaries? No one knows everything about how voters think and act, but Richard R. Lau, a politics professor at Rutgers, has at least … [Read more...] about Why Voters Vote The Way They Do
Wolfys rain
Larry Wright, The Detroit News … [Read more...] about Wolfys rain
White House Senate Immigration Bill Deal May Be Easiest Part
The White House and the Senate struck a deal on immigration. And that may be the easiest part. Now comes the HARD PART: the selling of this deal to one side that feels it may not be enough and another side that feels it may be too much..with a race horse called Election Year quickly galloping up to the scene, with the potential of throwing a monkey wrench into compromise … [Read more...] about White House Senate Immigration Bill Deal May Be Easiest Part
Gonzo In A Lineup
Mike Keefe, Denver Post … [Read more...] about Gonzo In A Lineup
Wolfowitz World Bank Deal’s Done
AP via MSNBC: Wolfowitz to resign presidency of World Bank Under deal it will take effect June 30, bank directors say … [Read more...] about Wolfowitz World Bank Deal’s Done
A Dollar a Meal
A few Congressman are trying to live a week on just $21 of food stamps. Turns out it's, you know, really hard. One dollar a meal does not lend itself to a healthy diet. Via Bitch, Ph.D … [Read more...] about A Dollar a Meal
Message: I Don’t Care
A Doctors Without Borders employee has been caught after plotting to kill Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Which is bad enough, but the organization's response was remarkably....sanguine on the subject. … [Read more...] about Message: I Don’t Care
Lest We Get Too Excited About Rep. Paul….
I know there's a group of Republicans who are excited about a potential candidate who isn't obsessed with making things explode, but before we all drink the Kool Aid be advised: he seems to have a bit of a race problem: Reporting on gang crime in Los Angeles, Paul commented: "If you have ever been robbed by a black teen-aged male, you know how unbelievably fleet-footed they can … [Read more...] about Lest We Get Too Excited About Rep. Paul….
Boxing Blogging Part I
I've started to blog about boxing as well, as I'm developing a casual fan's interest. It's an experiment, who knows how long it will last. Since in college I only get ESPN, it'll be centered around ESPN2's Wednesday and Friday Night Fight cards. Anyway, here's the first installment, dealing with yesterday's card featuring "Mean" Joe Greene, Joel Julio, and a title eliminator … [Read more...] about Boxing Blogging Part I
Attorneygate: And the Moral of the Story Is . . .
There are several things that are now beyond obvious in the ongoing U.S. Attorney scandal: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is a serial liar, his job is not in jeopardy, the secret machinations of the Bush administration are more despotic than could ever have been imagined, its disdain for the rule of law is profound, and neither the president nor his AG have a shred of … [Read more...] about Attorneygate: And the Moral of the Story Is . . .
Facing the Music: Ron Paul
Earlier this year, we launched our "Facing the Music Project" -- an effort to objectively profile the major party candidates vis-a-vis their positions on five broad policy questions. Those questions were suggested by TMV readers and intentionally focus on core governance issues rather than social/cultural issues. Although we decided to wait until this fall to publish the … [Read more...] about Facing the Music: Ron Paul
The end of Melinda Doolittle
(Sign of the Apocalypse #46 at The Reaction.) I'll admit it. I've watched pretty much all of American Idol this season. And it has been clear for a long time that the best of them all, by a lot, was Melinda Doolittle. Sure, she had her neuroses. Sure, she seemed a bit old, or old-fashioned. Sure, she didn't always seem to reach the high standard she had set for herself with … [Read more...] about The end of Melinda Doolittle
Why Is ABC’s Charles Gibson Number One In The Evening Newscast Slot?
CBS bet its future -- and a ton of money -- on Katie Couric, who became NBC Today Show's mega star due to her TV presence, excellent features and (yes) tough interviews. But mostly because Couric was young, a break from the stodgy old TV newscast mold -- and was highly popular. Now it's clear Couric has tanked in the network newscast ratings, CBS is in third place and … [Read more...] about Why Is ABC’s Charles Gibson Number One In The Evening Newscast Slot?
Christopher Hitchens’ Withering Farewell To Jerry Falwell
The Rev. Jerry Falwell may be gone, but the sea of controversy that surrounded him during his life has not receded one inch. In fact, no sooner did he abruptly leave the earthly scene (to go upstairs or downstairs, depending on your feelings towards him) than cartoonists had a field day. (We ran two, but quite a few were alike. A GOOD COLLECTION IS HERE.) And bloggers and … [Read more...] about Christopher Hitchens’ Withering Farewell To Jerry Falwell