Overheard at a Starbucks in San Diego: "Where is Donald Trump when George Bush needs him?" The comment wasn't referring to Trump's recent "dissing" of Bush, but to the fact that perhaps Trump could take Attorney General Alberto Gonzales into the Oval Office for Bush and say his (unsuccessfully) patented "You're fired!" to resolve the growing scandal over the firing of … [Read more...] about Is Alberto Gonzales a “Politically Dead Man Walking?”
Question Leadership
The Rich Get Richer: First Round Open Thread
Everybody's Final Four still intact? Probably, given that there were precious few major upsets this year. More on that it a minute. First things first though. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi? The college with its very own island nearly pulls off the biggest upset in years before fading to Wisconsin. I thank my lucky stars that my Madison-native roommate advised me against putting … [Read more...] about The Rich Get Richer: First Round Open Thread
Risk of Pregnancy “Not Related” to Pregnancy
So rules the 8th Circuit, which clearly does not realize that all women of child-bearing age are "affected by pregnancy", because they run the risk of becoming pregnant. I love decisions like this, because they don't require me to resort to any sort of weird leftist legal theory to critique the results. The 8th Circuit ignored the plain meaning of the Pregnancy … [Read more...] about Risk of Pregnancy “Not Related” to Pregnancy
The “New” Media Gets Top Blogger As Blog Talk Radio Grows
Watch out Sean, Rush, Randi and Ed. Talk radio no longer just belongs to the broadcast airwaves -- or even the relatively new frontier of satellite radio. Blog talk radio, which has been around for a bit but seems to be gaining more participants and listeners, seems to be taking off. And what better indication do you have of it than Blog Talk Radio hiring one of the … [Read more...] about The “New” Media Gets Top Blogger As Blog Talk Radio Grows
NewsFlash: Eight-Year-Old Obama Seen at Mosque!
Eventually, someone will explain to me why I should care. … [Read more...] about NewsFlash: Eight-Year-Old Obama Seen at Mosque!
President Icarus
The Trial of Conrad Black
This is a much bigger story here in Canada than it seems to be down in the U.S., but as many of you may know Lord Conrad Black -- Baron Conrad Black of Crossharbour, that is -- is about to go on trial in Chicago on 17 criminal charges, including fraud, racketeering, and tax evasion. Opening statements are scheduled for Monday). Over at The Reaction, co-blogger Grace is … [Read more...] about The Trial of Conrad Black
Pentagon Admits ‘There is Civil War in Iraq’
This is what The Independent says.... "As Congress moved towards a vote on withdrawing US forces next year, the Pentagon issued its latest and bleakest assessment of conditions in Iraq, for the first time acknowledging the country had, in effect, plunged into 'civil war'. "The report focuses on the final three months of 2006, immediately before President George Bush's … [Read more...] about Pentagon Admits ‘There is Civil War in Iraq’
India’s ‘Rustic’ Minister To Address US Universities
Here is one of the most unlikely management gurus to embark on a tour of American universities. A federal railway minister in India, (who chews beetle nuts in public and uses a spittoon...and was also involved in a graft case), Lalu Prasad Yadav was until a few years ago regarded as a political clown, a man so comical that a chocolate bar had a caricature of him on its … [Read more...] about India’s ‘Rustic’ Minister To Address US Universities
March Madness Open Thread 1
Not to distract everyone from the Plame-gate breaks, but its also March Madness time! My dad and I agree--these two days (the amazing frantic energy of round 1) are the best in all of sports. For all of that, though, it was a pretty dull first day. Virginia Commonwealth upset my beloved Duke Blue Devils, but I actually called that in my bracket (it's painful to pick your … [Read more...] about March Madness Open Thread 1
Obama’s Racial Struggle (?)
Steve Sailer wrote an essay for The American Conservative that’s sure to raise some controversy. Andrew Sullivan calls Sailer’s essay “stimulatingâ€? and “provocativeâ€? and comments: “The account of Obama’s alcoholic, absent, polygamous father is the kind of thing you keep in mind when considering the psyche of a possible president.â€? No you don’t. Well, I … [Read more...] about Obama’s Racial Struggle (?)
Big Brother Europe’s Controversial ‘Fingerprinting’
Proposals for a centralised database of fingerprints from across the Continent were revealed yesterday, fuelling fears on all sides of a Big Brother Europe, says The Times report. "The scheme for a computerised collection of personal details drawn from all 27 countries in the EU is the latest in a raft of anticrime measures in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in the United … [Read more...] about Big Brother Europe’s Controversial ‘Fingerprinting’
Valerie Plame Puts Critics to Shame
Valerie Plame, the covert CIA agent who was 'outed' after her husband, Ambassador Joe Wilson, publicly disagreed with the Bush administration, is testifying before Congress today and reportedly speaking very well. AP via CNN: Valerie Plame Wilson, the CIA operative at the heart of a political scandal, told Congress Friday that senior officials at the White House and State … [Read more...] about Valerie Plame Puts Critics to Shame
President Musharraf’s Attack and Defense
Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf personally apologised for a raid by riot police on a private television station on Friday, in a rare live telephone interview with the channel, says DNA. Footage showed police entering the office of Geo Television in Islamabad during violent protests over the sacking of the country's chief justice and breaking windows and smashing … [Read more...] about President Musharraf’s Attack and Defense
End Run Earmarks
The New York Times points out the craftiness of our legislators in Earmark Lives, but Dares Not Speak Its Name ...But Republicans, who dispensed earmarks with relish until they lost control of the committee last November, are accusing the Democrats of larding up the bill to win members’ support. “Welcome Kmart shoppers,â€? said Representative Harold Rogers, Republican … [Read more...] about End Run Earmarks
Are We Finally Approaching the Corner in Iraq?
There is a vaguely palpable feeling of progress in Iraq at long last. I am thinking of this in terms of a corner being approached, but not yet turned, as the new “surgeâ€? troops pour into Baghdad, sectarian violence ebbs, there is a downtick in suicide bombings, and a semblance of comity over a new national oil revenue distribution law. Putting aside for the moment the … [Read more...] about Are We Finally Approaching the Corner in Iraq?
Major Strike by India’s Ultra-Left Group
Nearly 50 Indian policemen and local tribal militias were killed yesterday after an attack by Maoist guerrillas on a jungle security camp at Chhattisgarh, nearly 930 miles south-east of New Delhi. The guerrillas set fire to the post before escaping with a substantial arms haul including machine guns and rifles. The Telegraph says: "The Maoists, who launched their 'people's … [Read more...] about Major Strike by India’s Ultra-Left Group
Why It’s Scary To Be a Republican These Days
An apology-averse Bush administration long accustomed to the lockstep support of Republican congressfolk no matter the transgression has been going it alone these days. In this context, the Walter Reed scandal is remarkable in two respects: Newly-minted Defense Secretary Gates ignored the White House playbook of circling the wagons rather than demanding accountability and … [Read more...] about Why It’s Scary To Be a Republican These Days
George Galloway’s Temper Live On TV
Times Online's Daniel Finklestein had a TV debate with George Galloway on the Iraq War. And if the final poll shows that Galloway's anti-war side won the poll war, Galloway lost the image war. Finklestein notes that the tally on the screen was actually wrong: it was 34-66. But Galloway seemed to have one thing on his mind: Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel, … [Read more...] about George Galloway’s Temper Live On TV