According to Bob Novak, GOP celebrity Fred Thompson is -- wait for it, wait for it -- "for real"! Yes: "In just three weeks, Fred Thompson has transformed the contest for the Republican presidential nomination. It is not merely that he has come from nowhere to double digits in polls. He is the talk of GOP political circles because he is filling the conservative void in the … [Read more...] about Politics & Entertainment: The Fact & Fiction of Fred Thompson
Asia’s Biggest ‘Talk-Fest’ Begins
New Delhi is the venue of the 14th SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) annual summit. India is chairing the two-day summit where leaders from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives are participating. Officials from the European Union, the United States, China, Japan and South Korea are attending the summit as observers. … [Read more...] about Asia’s Biggest ‘Talk-Fest’ Begins
Suspended Pak Chief Judge: Protests Continue
Pakistan's suspended chief judge has appeared before a judicial panel in the capital, as a political street battle over his fate enters its fourth week. From Islamabad, VOA Correspondent Benjamin Sand reports that lawyers and political activists continue taking to the streets in the thousands, protesting the suspension and calling for the Pakistani president to resign. Read … [Read more...] about Suspended Pak Chief Judge: Protests Continue
John McCain is Toast & For Good Reason
Mark April 2007 on your calendar as the month that John McCain’s bid for the White House crashed and burned. McCain worked hard through the winter to betray his purposely vague "values," which included a whistlestop tour in which he kissed every right-wing Republican butt of consequence below the Mason Dixon Line while hewing to a hard-line view of the Iraq war that vast … [Read more...] about John McCain is Toast & For Good Reason
Inside a Pakistani Madarsa…
An interesting CNN video...ITN's Kylie Morris takes a look inside a madarsa for Pakistani girls. … [Read more...] about Inside a Pakistani Madarsa…
Gonzales & The Incredible Lightness of Being
As Prosecutorgate drags on and on, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales finds himself a deeply unpopular figure among the American public, a pariah to congressional Republicans and a doofus to many people on his own staff, but continues to hang on by his fingertips because the president won't open the trap door to political purgatory that he so richly deserves to fall … [Read more...] about Gonzales & The Incredible Lightness of Being
The Event: Chapter 13
Mick LaSalle published the 13th chapter of The Event. As we are used to from Mick by now, another great chapter with some fascinating developments. This is how it starts... Americans reacted to the murder of Sadie East with a collective shock and horror that extended across party lines and reached every stratum of society. As they prepared to leave for work, even as the … [Read more...] about The Event: Chapter 13
(Updated) Gitmo: Justice Delayed or Denied?
In what may be only a temporary victory for President Bush, the Supreme Court has rejected by a 6-3 margin an appeal by suspected terrorists challenging their imprisonment at Guantánamo Bay. The prisoners are contesting their imprisonment and the rules set up to try them as war criminals outside of the federal court system. Washington lawyer Tom Wilner, who has … [Read more...] about (Updated) Gitmo: Justice Delayed or Denied?
One Courageous Lady
For those wondering how courageous Elizabeth Edwards is, I'd say, read this article at Newsweek. Newsweek's Jonathan Alter sat down with Elizabeth at the Edwardses' new house in Chapel Hill, N.C. Some excerpts: "When I was first diagnosed, I was going to beat this. I was going to be the champion of cancer. And I don't have that feeling now. The cancer will eventually kill … [Read more...] about One Courageous Lady
Exorcising Hitler’s Ghost: Circa 2007
Germany's Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm, which will host the G8 summit in June, has revoked the honorary citizenship it awarded to Adolf Hitler in 1932, reports Reuters. "The local council voted late on Monday to formally strip the Nazi dictator's name from the roll of honorary citizens even though it felt the honour had lapsed when Hitler, a regular summer guest, … [Read more...] about Exorcising Hitler’s Ghost: Circa 2007
Churchill
Mike Lester, The Rome News-Tribune … [Read more...] about Churchill
Around The Sphere April 3, 2007
Our linkfest offering readers a road map to interesting blog posts of varying viewpoints. Links do not necessarily represent views of The Moderate Voice or its writers. As Rudy Giuliani Advances (Or Shrinks?) In Polls He Gets More Scrutiny and Glenn Greenwald looks at what he calls "extraordinary anti-democracy comments from Giuliani." Oooh Those New Cars Are Delicious … [Read more...] about Around The Sphere April 3, 2007
French Train Breaks Rail Speed Record At 354.1 MPH
A new French train has broken rail speed records -- going so fast (354.1 mph) that you'd think it was a car on a California freeway:A high-speed French train with a souped-up engine and wheels broke the world speed record Tuesday for conventional rail trains, surpassing 354.1 mph. The black and chrome train with three double-decker cars, named the V150, bettered the previous … [Read more...] about French Train Breaks Rail Speed Record At 354.1 MPH
Center of Attention
A round up of recent reporting and commentary by a few centrist, moderate, and independent bloggers. At Stubborn Facts, Rafique struggles with the inconsistent application of perception vs. reality. Late yesterday, having lost his muse, Patrick Porter at OxBlog launched an open thread on Iran. TMV readers may want to offer a point of view. God is under the … [Read more...] about Center of Attention
Iran and Britain Moderating Tone
Nasser Karimi and Robert H. Reid write for the AP that both Iran and Britain are "backing away from tough words". Iran's chief negotiator Ali Larijani said that his priority "is to solve the problem through proper diplomatic channels" and that Iran is "not interested in letting this issue get further complicated." Britain responded by saying that both countries has a "shared … [Read more...] about Iran and Britain Moderating Tone
Iraqi Merchants Reportedly Reject McCain Security Claim
Everyone knows that Arizona Senator John McCain wants to have George Bush's job in the Oval Office but it sounds as if he is also in danger of developing a credibility gap problem of his own, if this New York Times piece is correct:A day after members of an American Congressional delegation led by Senator John McCain pointed to their brief visit to Baghdad’s central market as … [Read more...] about Iraqi Merchants Reportedly Reject McCain Security Claim
Guess Who Was Apparently Wrong Again?
Will he retract? (Don't hold your breath...) … [Read more...] about Guess Who Was Apparently Wrong Again?
Classic Comedy: Ernie Kovacs’ Brilliant Closing Credits
We got lots of emails after THIS POST about television comedy pioneer Ernie Kovacs asking for more examples of his work. So we'll run more throughout the week. Click on the You Tube below and see an example of the BRILLIANT closing credits he used on his show during the early 1960s, before his untimely death in an 1962 car crash. No one did what Kovacs did. Note how early … [Read more...] about Classic Comedy: Ernie Kovacs’ Brilliant Closing Credits
McCain In Iraq
Hostage Crisis: Who’s to Blame?
"A failed American attempt to abduct two senior Iranian security officers on an official visit to northern Iraq was the starting pistol for a crisis that 10 weeks later led to Iranians seizing 15 British sailors and Marines..." More here... Another news item says: "Iran and Britain signaled possible ways out of the standoff over 15 detained British soldiers Monday, with … [Read more...] about Hostage Crisis: Who’s to Blame?